Dangerous Games
by That.Girl.Is.Poison
Summary: Intrigue. Love. Blackmail. Danger. She was supposed to get in, get it back, and get out. Hermione should have realized that anything involving Draco Malfoy would never be that simple. Sixth year
1. Chapter 1

AN: Hey okay few notes—This takes place during 6th year. I changed a few things to suit my fancy. For example I made Draco a prefect this year even though he isn't in HBP.

Chapter 1:

After Sirius Black died, Hermione promised herself that she would savor every moment of her life. Life was too short to spend one second being unappreciative. But she found she was having a hard time appreciating anything with Draco Malfoy smirking at her. It was already bad enough that they were always assigned patrol duty together, but she really hated when he smirked at her.

"Well, what shall we do about these two delinquents?" Draco asked smugly.

During their usual rounds, Hermione and Draco caught Ron and Harry in a dark corridor after curfew. Hermione's eyes flew from Ron to Harry. Their eyes were looking at her expectantly. They expected her to bail them out, but she honestly didn't know how. She knew this day would come when she was chosen to a Gryffindor prefect. She just didn't think their worst enemy would be around to witness it. Hermione didn't think Draco would just turn the other cheek.

Hermione cleared her throat. "I'm sure they have a reasonable explanation for being out so late."

Silence.

"I-uh-I was uh-looking for my wand," Ron said feebly.

'Oh come on Ron!' Hermione thought to herself. 'Surely you can do better than that!'

Draco's smirk grew, if that were possible. "If you were looking for your wand, why did you need Potter to come with you? Are you afraid of the dark? I thought you'd be used to the dark by now with you practically living in Potter's shadow and all."

Ron's face became red with anger, but Harry nudged him. Harry shook his head at Ron ever so slightly. This was a delicate situation. Hermione understood that they were not in the best of situations, but she never thought she'd see the day when Ron could be talked down so easily. She had been trying to do that for years and it never worked. Why were they acting so…shifty? Her eyes dropped to ground. She instantly knew what was wrong.

"Malfoy, I'm surprised you don't understand why Ron would need Harry," Hermione said in her best Know-It-All voice. "It's actually quite simple really."

That wiped the nasty smirk off his face.

Hermione could almost see the cogs turning behind his eyes. He was asking himself if there was something he could be missing.

"What? Ron wanted to hold his boyfriend's hand while he looked?" The smirk was back with a vengeance.

"So Harry could perform a simple _Accio _wand. Simple really." She gave him a small smile. It was her own version of a smirk.

Draco hated when she did that.

"It doesn't matter," Draco insisted. "They still deserve detention."

"They'll only get a warning," she argued.

Draco's eyes narrowed. "Stop showing favoritism."

She gaped at him. How _dare_ he! "I am _not _showing favoritism!"

"Then what the hell would you call it, Miss I-Know-Everything!" Draco demanded. "Because that's what you called it when I wanted to excuse Crabbe and Goyle last week for being out past curfew. Then you went around my back to get McGonagall to give them detention!"

"Of course I did!" Hermione's voice rose shrilly. What she at first intended to be a distraction turned into a real argument. "They didn't even have an excuse. Not even a really bad excuse. They just stood there like-like-like two big mindless lumps!"

Ron and Harry were pretty much forgotten at that point. The two prefects were at each other's throats. Ron decided to go for it. He leaned down slowly to pick it up. Bad move. Harry should have went for it because Ron's bright hair always drew attention. The two prefects were now staring at him. Ron froze in mid lean, but it was already too late.

Draco's eyes landed on the Marauder's Map lying at their feet.

Harry and Ron dove for the map at the same time managing only to collide into each other. The Gryffindors struggled to reach it, but Draco promptly snatched it up.

"What is this?" Draco eyed the map. It took him a few moments to realize what it was. The biggest, nastiest smirk spread across his face. "This looks like contraband. I'll have to confiscate it." He tucked the Marauder's Map into his robes.

Hermione was horrified. She could only image the evil things Draco could do with the Marauder's Map in his possession.

"Oi give that back!" Ron shouted. "You have no right-"

"Yes I do." Draco flashed his prefect badge at him. "I know you're not used to seeing shiny things with you being _dirt poor _and all. See this? This is called a badge. It means I have authority over you, and that I can whatever the hell I want."

"You are not the only prefect here, Malfoy," Hermione said angrily. "I have say in this, too."

"Are you telling me that we should just give it back to them?"

Hermione couldn't think of an argument for their case. "I think th-"

A loud crash was heard in the distance followed by laughter.

The four teens froze in dread.

Peeves

True to his nature, Draco was the first to run. He shoved Hermione out of the way in his haste. She fell and landed painfully on her knees. Harry and Ron stayed to help her to her feet. They bolted just as Peeves rounded the corner. The poltergeist was wielding some pillows like weapons . Harry and Ron had to practically carry Hermione who was starting to get a stitch in her side from sprinting. They practically flew through the corridors. Ron was the first to go down. He was hit in the back of the head with a pillow that exploded on impact. Feathers and glitter burst out and all over Ron.

Ron fell to the ground as if he had been shot. "Just go! Run!"

Harry and Hermione ran so fast she thought the soles of their shoes would disintegrate. Hermione felt horrible for holding Harry back, but she was too out of breath to tell him to go on without her. Harry went down next. He was hit square in the face. He got a mouth full of feathers and glitter. His hands flew to his face, but he urged Hermione to keep going.

"Go 'Mione!"

Hermione kept going, but she knew it was a lost cause. There was no way she would make it without their help. Her stomach was cramping up horribly. She couldn't breathe. Adrenaline had worked wonders for her so far, but adrenaline could only do so much. Hermione could tell she was starting to wind down. She was about to give up running and just find a place to hide when Peeves pelted her in her calf. Hermione went down. She clutched her leg which was stinging painfully. She consoled herself with the thought that at least she didn't get glitter and feathers in her hair. That would've been murder trying to get out.

Then Peeves hit her with another pillow right in the side of her face.

* * *

Hermione limped painfully into the Great Hall for breakfast the next morning. She felt like shit. Yes shit. Normally, Hermione didn't curse, not even in her thoughts. But there really was no other word to describe how she felt. She hardly had any sleep that night. She spent the time plucking feathers from her hair and digging glitter out of her ear. She took a thirty minute shower, but she was positive that she didn't get it all. She was positive she looked like a glittery, sleep deprived, limping fool.

So yes, Hermione Granger felt like pure shit.

She sat down next to Ginny Weasley who looked disgustingly radiant. "G'morning Hermione. Have you looked outside yet? It's a beautiful day."

Hermione contemplated sitting somewhere else. "No I didn't."

Ginny frowned with concern. "Is something wrong?"

"I had a really _really_ long night." She sighed and reached for a blueberry muffin. "I think I'm going to have a really long day, too." Hermione rubbed her sore calf under the table.

Harry and Ron shuffled into the hall. Both of them looked like death warmed over. Sadly, they probably looked better than she did. They sat down across from Hermione.

"G'morning," Ginny greeted them happily. "I was thinking that we should eat lunch outside later on. It's such a beautiful day."

The two boys glared at her through puffy eyes.

"I don't see what so bloody great about it," Ron muttered.

"What is this? Rain on Ginny's parade day?" she grumbled.

No one responded. They just gloomily tucked into their breakfasts.

"I'm going to sit next to Seamus," Ginny warned.

No one responded.

They didn't really care.

Irritated, Ginny got up and moved.

As soon as she was gone, they put their heads together to discuss their disastrous situation.

"How are we gonna get the map back from Malfoy?" Ron asked hopelessly.

Harry looked at Hermione. "Can't you take it back? With you being a prefect and everything?"

She shook her head. "Malfoy's right. The map is contraband. He was well within his rights to confiscate it. There's nothing I can do about that."

They fell silent.

"What were you doing in the hall without your cloak?" That question had bugged her all night.

Harry sighed. "Me and Ron were keeping tabs on you and Malfoy and we couldn't both fit under it because Ron's gotten too tall and we didn't know the disillusionment charm to make the feet invisible so we decided since we had the map it didn't matter because we would see if anyone was coming our way. We only had to worry about running into Malfoy since Filch patrols the grounds while the prefects patrols inside."

She took in this lengthy explanation. "So why were you and Ron following us?"

"Because Malfoy is up to something," Harry said. "I know it. I don't trust him, Hermione. I've been watching him on the map. He's spends every night out of his room."

Hermione sighed. "Harry, I know you don't like Malfoy. None of us like Malfoy. That doesn't mean that he's….that he has some sort of evil plot to destroy everyone or anything."

Harry and Ron exchanged looks.

She knew she would get nowhere in this conversation so she decided to change to subject. "We need to figure out how to get the map back."

Harry and Ron exchanged looks.

That was starting to annoy her.

"What?" Hermione asked. "What is it?"

Ron ran his hands through his hair nervously. "Me and Harry talked it over in our room last night and uh we uh thought you were the only one who could get it back. And if you just take it back then you could get it back another way…"

"Really? How?" Hermione really wanted to know. If there was a way for to get the map back, then she would gladly do it. "Did you want me to talk to Professor McGonagall?"

They shook their heads.

"Snape?"

They shook their heads.

"Dumbledore?"

They shook their heads.

She was confused. "Then what? I don't really think a summoning spell would work. I think the map is charmed against them."

"We want you to get close enough to Draco to get it back," Harry said carefully.

"Close like…proximity close or like…relationship close?" Hermione asked.

Ron grimaced. "Relationship."

"No," she said firmly. "There has to be another way."

"There is no other way," Harry assured her. "We thought about everything. This is the only way."

"What about Polyjuice Potion?" Hermione suggested.

"No, ever since 4th year Snape has been guarding the ingredients like a greasy hawk," Harry said.

"But-"

"Listen Hermione," Harry interrupted, "I know the map like the back of my hand. It has all kinds of charms and curses on it to ward against it being taken by an enemy. Remember when Snape took it-"

"Yes but Barty Junior was able to take it when he was pretending to be Moody," she pointed out desperately. "He was definitely an enemy."

"Yes _but _I _gave _the map to Moody er Barty. He didn't take it."

"I just can't." Hermione said. "I can't get close to him not after everything he's done. I'm sorry. That's a lot to ask."

"Please Hermione," Ron pleaded. "Who knows what kind of evil things he could do with the map."

Hermione couldn't believe Ron agreed with this horrible plan. She thought he would object. She thought he…never mind. She shouldn't think such things. "At least try to get it from his room. If it doesn't work, then…then I'll do whatever it takes."

Harry and Ron nodded.

Merlin please _please _let them be able to take it.

Hermione had too much self-respect to get anywhere near Draco Malfoy if she didn't have to.

* * *

Harry insisted that he would retrieve it alone. He didn't want to risk his friends getting caught in the Slytherin dungeons. Especially Hermione. Those monsters would just love the chance to get their hands on her. Besides, it is always easier to sneak around unnoticed when it was just him. Ron wasn't the most coordinated person in the world and Hermione certainly wasn't the fastest.

So Harry stood alone outside the Slytherin dormitory. He waited nervously for five minutes until Daphne and Astoria Greengrass approached.

"Determination," Daphne muttered the password before resume her conversation with her sister. "I'm serious, Astoria. She has it out for you. You need to pick some else to moon over. I can't keep protecting you from her."

A Slytherin protecting someone?

Never.

No there must be something in it for her.

Astoria opened her mouth to say something, but stopped once she realized the common room was full of people. Harry slipped in quietly behind them. He pressed himself against the cold dungeon wall. It was time to wait again. He didn't know which staircase lead to the boys' dormitory.

Draco Malfoy was sitting on a couch with Pansy Parkinson who was running her fingers through his blond hair.

Harry wanted to gag.

He turned his attention to Theodore Nott who was playing an intense game of Wizard's Chess with Blaise Zabini. The two Slytherins were staring at the board. Both sat still as stone. Zabini looked up at Nott and smirked.

"Knight to e3."

The knight's horse galloped to the square. The pawn standing there tried to scurry off the board, but the knight grabbed its head before it could run away. The knight decapitated the screaming pawn. Its head rolled off the board and fell to the floor.

"Check," Zabini said smugly.

Nott surveyed the board for a moment while Zabini confidently leaned back in his chair. Their game caught the attention of everyone in the room. They all had sizable bets riding on the outcome of the game. Nott smiled to himself secretly. Zabini stopped smirking.

"Pawn to b8." Nott's pawn moved a space up to the edge of the board.

Zabini gaped. He didn't really expect the pawn to make it that far so he hadn't paid any attention to it. He was too busy moving across the board to notice a measly pawn. The pawn scrambled off the board. It was happy that it was no longer in danger. The queen stepped in its place.

"Checkmate."

Zabini was still gaping. "No." He couldn't believe that a stupid little pawn could take him down. He refused to believe it. "No."

Nott had already stood to leave. "You're welcome to stay and try to figure a way out, but you'll most like die in that chair before you do."

The Slytherin's snickered. The snickering died down when they realized that they would need to pay up. With a huff, Draco handed Pansy three galleons. She pocketed them smugly. Nott moved to go to his dorm.

"I want a rematch!" Zabini demanded.

"Maybe later," Nott said tauntingly. "If I feel gracious enough."

The Slytherin's snickered again. It seemed that Nott just moved up the power latter. Harry shook his head. He would never understand Slytherin politics. Harry pushed off the wall and followed Nott down the cold and dank spiral staircase. Harry shivered. Nott opened the door to the 6th year dorm. Harry slipped in behind him. Nott sat on his bed and let out a rattled sigh. He covered his face with his hands. He seemed nervous or scared.

Harry turned away from him. He could really careless about a Slytherin's emotional state. Harry searched the room for Draco's bed. He spotted a bed with expensive looking plush bedding that mummy and daddy must have sent in special for their spoiled little boy. Harry rolled his eyes and moved carefully over to what he presumed to be Draco's bed.

Suddenly, a high pitched wail went off.

Oh shit.

A Sneakoscope.

Nott jumped off his bed. He looked around suspiciously. His eyes were slightly fearful. Harry didn't have time to care about what he was scared about. Harry edged over to the door. The door flew open. Zabini ran into the room, shouting. Harry slipped out the door. He sucked in his breathe and pressed against the cold wall as more Slytherin's barreled down the staircase. Harry hurried back to the common room. Only the girls were still in there.

Pansy was frowning. Her pug face scrunched up even more than usual.

Daphne was shook her head. "_Boys_."

Pansy was taking this more seriously. "No, I don't think it's just about their stupidity. Something is…" Pansy trailed off.

"What?" Daphne asked. "Something is what?"

Pansy kept her mouth shut. She looked pointedly at Astoria.

"Astoria, go to your room," Daphne ordered her sister.

Her sister glared at her, but obeyed.

Once the sound of Astoria's footsteps dissipated, Pansy continued. "Something is wrong with Draco. He's been kinda jumpy and distracted. When he told us that the Dark Lord gave him a task to complete, he was so happy about it. Now he won't even talk about it."

"Yeah I know. He spent the first month of school bragging about it," Daphne complained.

"But I think…" Pansy hesitated again. "I think it isn't going well."

"Malfoy will think of something." Only Pansy was close enough to Draco to call him by his first name.

"He better," she said solemnly.

Daphne nodded.

Pansy stretched out on the couch. She lounged like a Slytherin queen. "I hope you know that Zabini is no longer acceptable after today."

Daphne nodded.

"You should forget about Zabini and go after Nott."

Daphne nodded.

Pansy yawned. "Besides I've seen how he eyes that Weasley bitch. He has a thing for filthy blood traitors."

Daphne nodded.

"I mean, you wouldn't want to have children with a black boy anyway." Pansy laughed. "What on earth would you do with your children's hair?"

Harry itched to punch Pansy in her stupid prejudiced pug face.

"Don't you agree, Daphne?" Pansy glared at her when she didn't immediately nod.

"Yes, Pansy," Daphne said but she didn't sound convinced.

Pansy eyed her suspiciously. "Look Daphne if you want to survive in this world, then you need to start making smart choices. Disagreeing with me wouldn't be smart."

Daphne clinched her jaw. "Making enemies out of everyone isn't smart either."

"_What did you say to me_?"

Daphne stood straight. "I was just giving you advice."

"Well don't. I don't need advice from you." Pansy glared at her.

The two girls stared silently at each other.

Harry took the opportunity to slip out of the common room.

"What was that?" Daphne asked.

Pansy looked around the room. "It must have been a ghost."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Harry dropped down on the couch in the Gryffindor common room.

"Did you get it?" Hermione asked anxiously.

He shook his head.

"Why not?" It came out harsher than she meant.

"What happened?" Ron asked.

Harry told them everything.

Hermione patted him on the shoulder. "It's okay. At least they didn't know it was you."

"Yeah it could've been worse," Ron agreed.

Harry nodded glumly.

"So what are you going to do about it now?" Ginny asked, making them jump.

"Wh-where did you come from?" Ron asked.

She rolled her eyes. "I was right over there. In the corner."

"I thought you were too busy kissing Dean to notice us," Harry grumbled.

Ginny ignored the comment. "So what are you going to do to get the map back?"

"They think it's a good idea for me to get close to Malfoy to get it," Hermione said with disgust, "which is ridiculous."

"Think about Hermione," Harry said, "out of the three of us, you're the smartest. You spend a lot of time with him when you're on patrols-"

"You're the only one naïve enough to believably want to be nice to that prat," Ron pointed out.

Hermione glared at him. "It still doesn't make sense. I'm muggle born. He wouldn't want to get near me."

"No that's not true," Ginny said. "There's rumors going around that Malfoy had a brief stint with Parvati over the summer and she's not pureblood."

"Really?" Harry asked in surprise. "Parvati and Malfoy?"

Ginny waved a hand at him. "Oh it's old news really. She was pretty hung up about it especially since he doesn't even acknowledge her in hall."

Hermione crossed her arms. "You can't tell me you think this is a good idea."

"It's not a good idea," Ginny said.

Hermione sighed with relief. "Finally someone with sen-"

"It's a great idea!" Ginny grinned. "Come on think about it, Hermione. Boy's are idiots when it comes it girls."

"Hey!" Harry and Ron objected.

Ginny ignored them. "All you have to do is show a little skin, and you'll have him panting after you."

"Ginny we're talking about _Draco Malfoy. _He's not a normal boy," Hermione pointed out.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Oh please, a boy is a boy. When a boy sees something he wants all the blood rushes from his brain and goes straight to his-"

"Ginerva Wealsey!" Ron looked aghast.

Ginny huffed. "All I am saying is that all you have to do is use your feminine wiles."

Harry and Ron burst out laughing.

Hermione glared at them.

It wasn't _that_ funny.

"Hermione…hhhaving ffffeminine wiles…wh-what drugs are you on Ginny!" Ron gasped between laughs.

"Yeah, let's be realistic. What is Hermione supposed to do? Blind him with science?" Harry joked.

The two Weasleys looked confused. Hermione got the Muggle reference, and she really didn't appreciate it. Hermione stood angrily while fighting back tears.

"For your information, I can be found attractive. You two are just too stupid to notice!" Hermione gathered up her things and stormed out of the room.

She curled up on her bed as she sucked back tears. Hermione was sick of Ron looking at her as only a friend. It was obvious that he didn't think she had any appealing qualities whatsoever, but that didn't mean that he had to be so mean about it. Hermione angrily wiped away her tears with the back of her hand.

Hermione didn't know why everyone said love was so great. It wasn't. Love was irritating and painful. Extremely painful. When she was younger, she couldn't understand why people thought Romeo and Juliet as the ultimate love story. Now she knew. True love will drive you to kill yourself. Okay Hermione had no plans of killing herself especially over Ron, but sometimes when he said things like that it felt like a knife to her stomach. A big, jagged, rusty knife that could possibly give her tetanus.

Hermione smiled weakly to herself.

That was just too overdramatic.

"Hermione?"

"Yes Ginny?" Hermione tried to sound calm.

Ginny sat down next to her. "You're right. They're just being stupid."

Hermione leaned her head on her shoulder as Ginny patted her back. She sniffled.

"We'll show them though," Ginny assured her.

"Show them what?" Hermione asked.

"I'll give you a makeover."

"A what?"

"I'll straighten your hair, put a little a makeup on your face, and give you one of my short skirts. Malfoy won't be able to keep his eyes off of you," Ginny declared with a determination that made Hermione apprehensive.

"No Ginny. I'm not going to go after Malfoy like that. He's got a girlfriend."

"Exactly! You can't tell me that you don't hate Pansy as much as I do. This is the perfect way to get back her. Picture the look on her pug face when her boyfriend is stolen away by you."

Hermione finally understood why Ginny was so enthusiastic. "It would be nice."

"Let's get started." Ginny stood.

Hermione pulled her back on the bed. "No. It's not a good an enough reason."

"_Why not_?"

"Because he hates me! He's been torturing me for years. He's a pure blood supremacist. He disgusts me. The very thought of getting near him makes my stomach turn."

"I understand," Ginny said solemnly.

There was a soft knock at the door. "Hermione?" Harry called softly.

Ginny crossed the room and opened the door to the dormitory. "She's too upset to be harassed right now."

"It's okay," Hermione said. "Let him in."

Ginny let Harry enter before exiting quietly.

"What is it Harry?"

Harry sat down next to her and put an arm around her shoulders. "I wanted you to know why it's so important that you get that map back. Malfoy is doing something for Voldemort here and I need that map to keep tabs on him."

Hermione sighed. "Harry you're just being paranoid-"

"I am not being paranoid! I know what I heard in that common room. Why can't anyone see what's in front of all of our faces? Malfoy's planning something big, something unspeakably evil. I thought you of all people would believe me."

Her eyes softened. "Oh Harry. I believe that you _believe_ Malfoy is dangerous, and I'll be the first to admit he's a slimy git, but he's just a boy. He's the same as you or me-"

Harry pounded his thigh with his fist. "No, he's evil Hermione. He wants Voldemort in power. He wants people like you dead. You have to understand how important getting that map back is."

Hermione eyed her friend. He looked so tired. It was obvious he was losing sleep. Probably over worry. Everyone put too much pressure on Harry to save them. Harry was just a boy. A boy would felt like he had to carry the world around on his shoulders.

She nodded slowly. "Okay Harry. I'll do it for you."

The next morning, Hermione's calf felt considerably better. Instead of limping into the Great Hall, she shuffled. Things were looking up for Hermione. She was positive that she got rid of all the glitter that morning. All of her assignments were done for next week. She was even having a good hair day. She sat down with a content sigh as the dull pain in her calf lessened slightly.

Hermione looked over at the Slytherin table. Draco was sitting between Nott and Pansy. She raised an eyebrow. Nott was sitting in Blaise's usual seat. It seems as though Nott was moving on up. 'Hooray for him.' She thought to herself drily. 'We'll see how long that lasts.' Daphne was on the other side of Pansy. She was sneaking looks at Nott. 'Well that's a new development. I thought she liked Zabini.' Blaise was nowhere to be seen. Hermione looked back at Draco. He looked so much older than he did 5th year. Stress much have aged him so quickly. It must be stressful living in a sea of backstabbers.

Ginny sat down next to Hermione. "Have you come up with a master plan yet?"

Hermione shook her head. "No. I thought about it all night."

"I'm sure you'll think of something."

That made one of them.

Could a Muggle born befriend the Prince of Bigots?

Not likely.

"Yeah me too," Hermione lied.

Draco Malfoy sat like a king amongst his subjects. He had a beautiful Pureblood girl at his side. The entire house was at his feet due to the attention he was receiving from the Dark Lord. They were like trained dogs which he tested from time to time for his amusement.

"Give me that muffin," Draco ordered Blaise who had just arrived.

Blaise almost had the muffin to his lips. He glared at Draco. "It's the last one."

"I'm aware of that, Zabini. I'm not bloody blind. Give it to me." Draco was still mad that he lost three galleons betting on him. It didn't matter that it was pocket change to him. Money was money.

Blaise glared at him until he noticed Draco's brute squad glaring at him. He begrudgingly handed it over. Draco snatched it out of his hand. He moved to eat it but stopped.

"On second thought, I'm not really hungry." Draco smirked. "Would you like the muffin, Pansy?"

She grinned like he was offering her flowers. "No, I'm not hungry either."

Draco shrugged and dropped the muffin on the floor. The Slytherins around him snickered. Draco's smirk grew. He sat like a king amongst his subjects, but he's life wasn't a great as he thought it would be. Draco had everything he ever thought he wanted. Although Blaise suffering had pleased him, it was only temporary. Once the snickering died down, Draco began brooding again.

"Draco." Pansy gently tugged at his arm. "Time for class."

He blinked. Everyone was leaving. Draco got up. Pansy held her hand out expectantly. He took it. She grinned at him. He liked the way her grins curled her lips wickedly. Pansy was the epitome of Slytherin. The king and queen walked leisurely to class with their subjects trailing behind them.

After classes were over, Hermione headed back to Potions to retrieve a book she left behind. The dungeon corridor was empty. As she neared the class room, she could hear a conversation between Slughorn and Draco.

"I spoke to your godfather and he convinced me to give you a chance to catch up. He said that you're normally an excellent Potions student and you're just distracted because of something going on at home. So I decided to assign a tutor to you."

"I don't need you to do that. I can pay for a tutor," Draco said.

"I want to be sure that the tutor is tutoring you instead of doing the work for you."

Draco was silent. He was probably scowling.

"I will go through a list of possible students and inform you next week who I assigned to you. You're dismissed."

Draco huffed and stomped towards the door. Hermione walked into the class as he exited. He made sure to bump into her should as he passed. She shot a glare at his back.

"Yes Miss Granger?" Slughorn's voice sounded more pleasant than it had when he addressed Malfoy.

"I came to look for a book I left." She walked over to her table and picked it up.

"Oh well have a nice day Miss Granger."

"Professor?"

"Yes?"

"I couldn't help over hearing that Malfoy needed a tutor."

Slughorn sighed. "I'm afraid he's fallen dreadfully behind. It's a shame really. His mother was a natural at potions."

"I would like to volunteer to tutor him," she offered hopefully.

"Oh well while it is true that you are a great student, I was actually thinking of asking Mister Potter."

"_Harry_?"

"Yes. He is doing exceptionally well."

Hermione frowned with irritation. "I am a better student across the board. I'm the only one who can take time of their day to tutor and still keep up in every class. Besides Harry only became good at potions this year. I've been the one to tutor him for the past five years."

"I had no idea Harry only recently began to excel," Slughorn admitted.

"I brought Harry a long _long_ way. Malfoy is already a great student. I could work wonders with him."

"I'll think about it."

Hermione smiled at him, confident that she won him over.

* * *

Hermione's heart sunk into her stomach. "Slughorn asked _you_ to tutor Malfoy?"

Harry scowled. "Yes."

She frowned at him. "Did you say no?"

"He wouldn't let me-"

"What do you mean he wouldn't let you?" Hermione was way beyond frustrated and was truly insulted. She was supposed to be the smart one in the trio. "It's easy to say no. It's one word. One syllable. Two letters."

Harry rubbed his temples. "If you would have let me finish you would know that I said no. He wouldn't let me hear the end of it until he decided to ask Cormac."

"Cormac? _Cormac McLaggen_?" Consider Hermione's ego officially bruised.

"Yeah apparently his uncle asked Slughorn to assign him to Malfoy as a punishment for something."

Hermione groaned. "What am I going to do now?" She was positive that there wouldn't be any more opportunities more perfect than that.

"You could deliberately get detention with Malfoy," Harry suggested.

Her look said it all.

Blasphemy

"Harry I'm a prefect. I'm not supposed to get detentions. Neither is Malfoy for that matter."

He shrugged. "I'm sure you'll figure it out."

Hermione was tired of hearing that.

She sighed. Hermione flopped back on the couch. She covered her eyes with her forearm. Suddenly Hermione sat forward. "Harry!"

He jumped. "What?"

"Felix Felicis. Harry I need it."

"But Hermione with Voldermort back I might need it for something more important."

Hermione sighed. Her shoulders slumped a little. "I guess you're right."

Harry relented, seeing the pitiful look on her face. "Maybe just a sip."

* * *

Hermione smiled weakly in an attempt to put up a brave front. Unfortunately her front was as weak as her smile. Neither her friends, nor Madame Pomfrey, were fooled. It was completely ridiculous really. Hermione had been walking down a corridor. She stopped to rub her sore calf. Neville had been walking down the same corridor carrying a large box of potted plants for Professor Sprout. He didn't see her slightly crouched form and collided right into her. The entire box fell on top of her head.

"Oh you poor dear." Pomfrey held a vial to her lips. "Drink this."

The potion eased her searing headache, but the taste made her stomach turn. Hermione swallowed the rest of the potion hurriedly. "Can I go to class now?"

"I'm sorry dear, but I'm going to need to keep an eye on you for a few hours to make sure you don't have a concussion."

Hermione glowered. She didn't have time for this.

"Don't worry Hermione," Dean Thomas, the other Gryffindor prefect, said. "We'll get notes for you to copy."

Hermione smiled weakly again. She hardly believed that anyone's notes would be up to her standards. "Thanks."

Ron was frowning with concern. "Are you feeling any better?"

"Yes, I'll be fine soon. Now go to class."

Ron hesitated. Harry whispered something in his ear. The redhead nodded and left with Dean.

Harry took Hermione's hand and slipped something in it. "Rest first, okay?"

"Okay." Her fingers curled around the vial.

He waved and left.

"You just relax now," Pomfrey said. "If you rest, I may release you before dinner."

She promptly lie back like a good patient. The older woman smiled at her before going back to her office. Hermione felt like she was being tortured. Here she was lying in bed when she should be in class. It was so frustrating. She glowered the entire time. By the fourth hour, Hermione had enough. She took the tiniest sip of the potion Harry slipped her.

It made her feel warm all over, and it had a decidedly better taste than the potion Madame Pomfrey gave her. Hermione sat back to wait. As soon as her head hit the pillow, a flustered looking Hufflepuff burst into the infirmary dramatically.

"Madame Pomfrey!" The witch's name came out as a gasp.

"Quiet down," the woman shushed. "Tell me what's wrong."

"The entire Hufflepuff Quidditch team was given hexed candy. They're all projectile vomiting."

The mediwitch looked worried. "Let me get my supplies."

"Madame Pomfrey?" Hermione called.

"Yes dear?" She had forgotten she was there.

"Is it okay for me to go now?" She looked hopeful.

"Oh yes yes," the mediwitch said distractedly. It seems as though she would need all the room in the infirmary as she could get. "You're fine now."

Hermione jumped up with glee. She gathered her things and left before the woman could change her mind. She hurried through the corridors, hoping that with her new luck she could get closer to Malfoy and find someone with suitable notes. As she was walking, the shoulder strap to her bag broke. Her books and parchment scattered across the floor.

She huffed. Good luck indeed. Hermione muttered to herself as she collected her belongings. "Great. First I miss Potions now this…"

"Here." A hand handed her one of her books.

"Thanks." Hermione took her last wayward book. She looked at her helper and tried to keep from frowning. "McLaggen."

Cormac smiled arrogantly at her. What was he so arrogant about? So he helped with one book. Big fucking deal.

"You missed Potions?" He asked.

"Yes." Hermione put her belongings back in her bag. She pointed her wand at her bag. "_Reparo_." The strap mended itself. She slipped it back on her shoulder.

"I'm on my way to tutor Malfoy in Potions." He somehow managed to say it like it was something to brag about. "You can join us so you can get caught up."

Good luck indeed!

She smiled at him. "Thank you. That would be great."

Another arrogant smirk.

Merlin, she felt like slapping that smirk off his face.

"This way." Cormac placed a hand on her back to guide her into the library which was all of four feet away.

'I know where the library is you arrogant git.' Hermione eased out of his touch as soon as they were inside.

They sat down at the table Draco was sitting.

Draco scowled. "About bloody time, McLaggen. I don't have all fucking day."

"Language, Malfoy," she admonished.

He rolled his eyes. "I already have a mother, Granger."

"Do I need to remind you that my evaluation of your progress helps to determine whether or not you pass Potions?" Cormac asked.

Draco sneered. "And I don't think that I need remind you that with one word my father could have your uncle's cushy Ministry job."

The amount of testosterone was getting ridiculous.

Next, they'd be playing My Wand is Bigger Than Yours.

She politely cleared her throat. "We were supposed to cover chapter 5 today."

"What are you still doing here?" Draco turned his sneer on her.

"I'm catching her up, because she missed class." How did he manage to make everything he said sound like something to brag about?

They eventually got to work. She had to admit—although begrudgingly-Cormac proved to be a good tutor. Hermione was still convinced she would have done better. The tutoring session went as well as could be expected. There was only one incident when Draco, fed up with Hermione knowing all the answers, knocked ink onto her Potions book while muttering 'Mudblood' under his breath. The book was salvaged with a simple '_Tergeo' _much to the Slytherin's chagrin.

At the end of session, Hermione was reasonable caught up and pretty pleased about it. She smiled, forgetting her company. "That was really productive."

Cormac smirked.

Draco snorted.

She sighed.

"I have important things to do," Draco stood.

"Same time next week," Cormac reminded his unwilling pupil.

The Slytherin left without a reply.

Hermione hurriedly shoved her supplies back into her bag as she felt the potion beginning to wear off. She had to catch up to Draco. She hadn't accomplished anything yet, and she was running out of time.

"Hermione-"

"See you later, McLaggen." She hurried out of the library.

Hermione caught up with Draco who was walking slowly towards the dungeons. The pleasant warmth of the potion was leaving her.

"Malfoy," she called out to him desperately.

"Leave me alone," he called back to her over his shoulder without stopping.

She clenched her teeth against her anger. She didn't have time for a disagreement right now. "You don't need to be so cruel all the time. Stop putting the weight of the world on your shoulders. You don't need to be some poster boy for old ideals. I can tell you're stressed. Relying on other doesn't make you weak. It makes you human. We don't have to be enemies Malfoy. Let me help you."

She could feel the rest of the potion wear off after she was done.

Draco stopped.

He turned.

"Even if I needed help, I wouldn't need it from a Mudblood."

Then he left.

Hermione stood in the empty corridor, feeling sick.

She failed.

AN: I hope this clarifies any questions. Keep in mind as the story unfolds, more will be revealed. But if you have any questions or problems with anything please let me know.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The next month had been the worst month of Hermione's life. Well, maybe that was exaggerating, but it felt like the worst month of her life. Her friends assured her that it was okay that she didn't get the map back, but she could tell she disappointed them. She felt like they were starting to become distanced from each other. Harry was preoccupied with his secret meetings with Dumbledore and being Quidditch captain. Ron began dating Lavender Brown. Hermione swore he was trying to rub her face in it every chance he got.

And it was now official that Draco was avoiding her. He made sure that he was too busy on all the nights that she was available to patrol. While having patrol duty with Ernie Macmillan was decidedly more pleasant (even if he was a bit pompous at times), she was frustrated that she hadn't been able get more alone time with Draco.

The thought made her shudder.

Alone time with Draco.

She never thought she would ever want that.

Hermione rolled over in her bed and tried to fall asleep. Sleep didn't come easy to her anymore. It worried her that Draco had the map. Thinking of all the things he could do with, made her sick with anxiety. She was starting to get desperate to get it back.

* * *

Draco paced angrily in the Room of Requirement. Nothing was working. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. He snatched up another book that he thought could help, but he was too frustrated to read the words on the page. He just glared at the ink, daring it to reveal what he needed. Draco sighed wearily. It was time to go to bed. He threw the book down, checked the map to see if anyone was around, and left.

He was surprised to hear soft sobbing when he entered the Slytherin common room.

Must be a first year who couldn't take the pressure.

Draco walked over to the couch to taunt the cry baby.

Pansy stiffened. She quickly wiped away her tears before she faced him. "Hello Draco. Just getting in?"

"What happened?" he asked angrily. He never seen Pansy cry before. Something must be seriously wrong. "Just tell me who to kill."

She chuckled. "It's not that simple."

What? Pansy thought killing solved everything.

That's why they got along so well.

He sat down and pulled her into his lap.

She stiffened. "We can't do this."

"Why not?" He was confused by her behavior.

"Because I'm to be promised to someone else." Her bottom lip trembled slightly, but she was too strong to allow herself to cry in front of him.

"_What?" _

"My parents are afraid that your family may fall out of favor with the Dark Lord because…because it's taking you longer than…expected."

"But they already were in the process of making a marriage agreement with my father."

She slipped off his lap. "Yes well they saw an opportunity to better their position. They're beginning negotiations with someone else. "

"Who?"

She shook her head.

He was actually surprised that she told him that much. "So if I succeed with my task?"

"My parents will finalize the agreement with your father and we'll be married after graduation."

"And if I don't?"

She remained quiet.

He moved to pull her back to him.

"No, Draco," she said quietly. "I can't."

"Why? It's not like you're married to that other guy."

"My parents are waiting to see what happens. If you fail, they don't want me to be associated with you."

Pure blood politics.

It made what went on in Slytherin look like child's play.

A horrible realization dawned on him. "But we already-"

"I know." Pansy's voice was shaky.

He understood why she had been crying.

She was afraid.

"I feel so stupid!" She buried her face in her hands.

It had been stupid of them. They had been so careless back then. They thought they were untouchable. That was before they realized that life was a game. A cruel game that dealt you an unfair hand. To live was to cheat everyone else. Pansy should've realized that she should put herself well-being first.

Rule number of the real world: Always put yourself first.

Pansy grabbed his robes desperately. "Draco you have to do it. You have to succeed or we'll both be-"

Draco brushed her off. "I know. I'm under enough pressure as it is. Don't you think my own life is enough to motivate me?"

They sat in silence. Draco supposed they grew up too fast. Maybe in another place and time, it would be different. However the reality was their lives were nothing but a series of dangerous games. Back in third year, he used to think he lived for danger. Now he knew the truth: he lived for himself. Self-preservation was game now.

Pansy sat still next to him looking slightly shaken. Without her wicked edge, she looked so much younger than she usually did. It was hard to think of themselves as only 16 after everything they've been through.

With a growl of frustration, he pulled her to him. Draco grabbed the back of her head and forced her lips on his. Her fingers curled into his robes. She was used to his roughness. He kissed her until he thought he would asphyxiate. They broke apart.

"You better succeed," Pansy breathed before she left him alone in the darkness.

* * *

Hermione sat down next to Ginny who was staring at the Slytherin table. "What are you looking at?"

"Oh just more Slytherin drama," Ginny said. "There's trouble in paradise."

Hermione looked over. Draco was sitting next to Nott. Nothing new there. Her brown eyes panned left. Now there was something new. Pansy was sitting on the other side of Nott. Trouble in paradise indeed.

Daphne Greengrass entered the Great Hall. She seemed to notice the change immediately. Pansy was looking at Daphne expectantly. Daphne walked over slowly, trying to make up her mind. This was a dangerous game. She passed by the seat next to Pansy and sat in the empty seat next to Draco.

Hermione and Ginny raised their eyebrows at each other.

Who needed TV when you had the Slytherin house?

It was certainly better than any soap opera Hermione's mother ever watched.

"What are you looking at?" Harry sat down across from them.

"Slytherin drama," Ginny muttered, poised to see what would happen next.

He glanced over at the table. He didn't see the big deal. "Malfoy has a new girlfriend?"

"So it seems," the youngest Weasley sighed as she realized that there was not going to be a fight.

"Trouble in paradise." Daphne smirked and indicated the Gryffindor table with the flick of her eyes.

Draco warily turned his attention from her to Hermione who was sitting next to Harry. The other third of the trio was sitting a little farther down with Lavender.

"It looks like the trio is starting to become a duo," Nott remarked dryly. "Nothing new there."

"Yes, the pauper is always bitching about something," Draco said without much interest.

"_Oh poor me I'm poor_," Daphne mimicked Ron's voice unflatteringly.

That earned a few snickers.

Draco eyed the girl next to him. He could feel his subjects' attention on their king. They wanted to know if Daphne would meet his approval which would boot Pansy off her throne. He honestly didn't know, yet. Pansy already proved that she would pick someone else over him if need be. Well so would he. Daphne was pretty, pure blooded, and what she lacked in wickedness she made up for with cunning. Yes she was an opportunist. Draco could respect that.

As far as making her the new queen…well he would see.

The stunt at breakfast wasn't the only power play made by Daphne. She successfully weaseled her way into Pansy usual place next to Draco in the common room. Pansy glowered at her from across the room where she speaking with Nott. He could tell Pansy was itching to claim her old spot. It made him smug. Pansy was starting to realize how hard it was to queen without a king.

Later that night, Draco descended the stairs in front of the Great Hall. Hermione was standing in front of the grand doors, tapping her foot impatiently. It was unlike Ernie to be late. He was always reminding her not be late. Sometimes that boy had a lot of nerve.

Hermione turned when she heard his footsteps. "I was starting to-oh it's _you_."

"Manners, Granger," Draco admonished. "The polite thing to do would have been to say 'Hello Malfoy'."

She crossed her arms indignantly. "I wasn't expecting you. Where's Ernie?"

"He's busy. He asked me to cover for him." He really bribed him.

"Oh."

"Come on. Let's start with the dungeons and work our way up."

Hermione hesitated.

Smart little Mudblood.

He feigned irritation. "I'm not leading you into an ambush. You're really not worth the effort."

She glared at him. "Obviously." Well this wasn't going as well as she hoped.

"Come on. I don't want this to take all night."

They walked in silence for a while. Both were trying to come up with the best way to deceive the other. Draco found a way first. After all he was a Slytherin, deceit was more his game.

"I've been thinking about what you said."

"What did I said?" she asked warily.

"About relying on others…"

"What about it?"

"I need…never mind. Forget it."

"What is it, Malfoy? You can talk to me. Believe me I can't possibly think any worse of you than I already do." She tried to lighten the mood so he would relax.

"I…I am under a lot of pressure to…fix something and-and I'm not sure if I can do it on my own," he said begrudgingly.

There's the bait.

Hermione took it. "What do you need to fix? Maybe I can help."

Oh Merlin, he was good.

He deserved—what did Muggles call it—an Oscar.

He looked at her suspiciously. "Why would you help me?"

Okay Hermione be smart about this.

What is a reply that a Slytherin wouldn't be suspicious of?

"That's something I should ask you," she said. "What's in it for me?"

"I'm surprised, Granger. Aren't you supposed to be the champion of the underdog? The ever eager hero? That is the Gryffindor way."

"Gryffindors aren't stupid either."

"No that would be Hufflepuff," he amended.

She glared at him. "You're not convincing me."

Silence

"Forget it," he hissed.

"Giving up so easy?" She raised an eyebrow. "That's not very Slytherin. Aren't you supposed to do everything in your power to get what you want?"

A challenge.

Draco's determination would not be questioned.

"If you fix it, I'll give you a Time-Turner."

She stopped dead in her tracks. "What?"

Yes, that's right. Gape in amazement Mudblood.

"But how could you-"

"I am a Malfoy. We have connections."

She frowned in suspicion. "All of the Ministry's were destroyed."

He looked down at her haughtily. "Oh please, I don't need the Ministry's castoffs. What part of I am a Malfoy didn't you understand."

She didn't believe him, but she wasn't going to pass the opportunity up. "What do you want me to fix?"

"I'll show you." Draco led her a few feet to a tapestry.

That was convenient.

Almost like he planned it.

Hermione kept her suspicions to herself as she watched Draco pull back the tapestry to reveal a door. The Room of Requirement. She hesitated outside the door. Again, smart little Mudblood. She had no reason to trust him, and she was well aware of this. It wasn't the first time he wondered why she wasn't placed in Ravenclaw.

He rolled his eyes and went in. "Again, you're not worth an ambush."

Hermione brushed past him. She surveyed the room. It was horribly cluttered. It made the spacious room feel closed in, small. Draco watched her as she analyzed every aspect of their surroundings. Her brown eyes swept over stacks of books, some of which had been toppled from what looked like frustration. There was a path of matted down fibers in the rug from pacing. Her fingers traced the countless overlapping waterlogged rings on the wood table. A lot of time was spent in this room. Just standing in the room for two minutes made her restless.

She looked over at Draco's weary face. She could tell he spent a lot of time in the room, and it was doing something to him. It made him seem more human to her. There were tired lines edged in face too deep for his age. Hermione understood the feeling. She felt too old for her age sometimes, too.

"It's over there." Draco pointed.

"The cabinet?" she asked incredulously. "Why?"

"It belonged to my family once," he said quietly. "I want to be able to show my dad I can do something right. That I'm not a fuck up."

It was easy to say these things when he told himself he was acting.

She picked up a book that had been thrown in one of Draco's rages. "Let's get started."

The first night was tense.

They silently delved into book after book. Draco chucked a book on top of the one Hermione laid in the 'useless pile'. She was concentrating on something she thought was interesting. He shoved a loose bit of parchment he just found into her face.

"What about this?" He indicated the text with his finger.

He resented the way she leaned away from him ever so slightly.

If anything, she should be grateful he even got that close to a Mudblood.

Her expert eyes quickly scanned the page. "Interesting," she murmured. She slipped the parchment from his fingers to get a better look.

He hovered over her shoulder. "Well?"

She nodded. "Yes this incantation should work but the charm…"

"What about it?"

"The charm isn't strong enough to hold."

Draco paced in his usual spot. It seemed all he felt in this room was frustration.

Hermione eyed him warily. "These things take time, Malfoy."

That wasn't something he wanted to hear. They fell into silence again.

Hermione was tired when she shuffled into the Great Hall the next day. Well, more like later that morning. She sat next to Ginny and across from Harry. She was sure she looked like death warmed over which was better than looking like shit she supposed.

"Morning," she muttered.

Harry looked even more haggard than she did. He nodded.

Ginny sighed. "You two are already bringing me down and day hasn't started yet."

"Why don't you sit with Dean then?" he asked bitterly.

"Maybe I wanted to sit with my friends," she said through clenched teeth.

"Wouldn't you rather sit with someone who made you _happy_?"

Ginny stood. "I don't know what you're problem is, but you need to fix it quick." With that, she left.

Hermione wondered when they would stop playing games.

He sighed heavily.

"'Operation: Blind Him With Science' is a go," she said to lift his mood.

"Really?" Harry looked hopeful.

She nodded. "I don't want you to worry about it though. You've got too much to worry about already. Let me handle this."

He smiled at her with relief. Deep down she knew he would worry anyway.

* * *

The fifth night was quiet.

They had successfully separated most of the books into either the 'useful' or the 'useless' pile without a word.

"Tell me something about you," Hermione said desperately. Her words cut through the silence.

"What?" It was a tired question.

She shrugged. "Something no one else knows."

He glared at her. "Why the fuck would I tell you that?"

"Everyone needs someone to talk to," she whispered. "Even you."

Draco didn't even acknowledge something so absurd. They fell back into silence.

"I don't like red," Hermione said as she fingered her tie after some time had passed. "No one knows that but you."

He didn't acknowledge that either.

* * *

Draco sat in the common room trying to feel like a king. He only felt weary. Daphne was next to him in her usual place now. Pansy was slowly being shoved down the power ladder. He enjoyed that. He enjoyed how angry that made her. He reveled in it.

Theodore sat on Draco's right in an armchair. He eyed him warily. He was a potential enemy now. Theodore's rose rapidly to where he was in the social chain. Draco would make sure he didn't get too high. The king kept his enemy close. It was easier to keep his eye on him.

The common room was thinned out until it was just Draco and the Brute Squad. After a while he told Crabbe and Goyle to go to bed, too. He wanted to be alone. He couldn't be himself around them. Draco stretched out on the couch and closed his eyes. Thinking.

He felt a small hand on his cheek. He opened his eyes. "Pansy?"

She kissed him. It took him a few seconds to give in. Pansy laid down next to him on the couch, wrapping one slender leg around his waist. Draco curled his fingers around her arms. Her skin was cold. He chuckled against her lips. She was cold blooded. Slytherin through and through. She nipped at his lower lip. He pulled off her sweater vest. She loosened his tie. Their moves grew more desperate. He unbuttoned her shirt but left her tie on. She liked it when he pulled on it while they fucked. Pansy was kinky like that. They both were.

Draco pulled her underneath him. He crushed into her, searching for warmth. They were both reaching. Pansy wrapped her legs around him, pulling him closer. She tangled her fingers in his hair to force his lips down on hers again.

Footsteps.

Pansy went ridged. Draco kept touching her. If someone came, he would just order them away like he always did. Her small hands went to chest, trying to push him off—away. He got off her bitterly. She wanted him only when no one else could see.

"Don't come near me again," he sneered.

She glared at him and covered herself with her cloak before leaving.

Theodore passed by her and didn't comment on their ruffled clothes.

* * *

The sixth day was exciting.

"I found the charm we need," she muttered. Her voice was so tired that she didn't even understand her own words.

"What?" His heart lifted a little. He stood in surprise.

Realization dawned on her. Hermione smiled, her face lighting up. "I found the charm we need!" She jumped from her chair. Her legs ached from sitting so long.

They ran around the room joyously to release their energy and frustration. They ran and laughed. She smiled at him and he smirked at her. It was first time she saw him look close to being happy in a long time. It made the weariness worth it.

Breathless, Hermione leaned on the table. "The charm is complicated. Beyond 7th year even. It will be hard to do."

"Stop being so cynical," he said. "That's my job."

She grinned at him. "True."

When she grinned like that, it reminded him of Pansy. The way she was during a simpler time. Hermione sat back in her chair breathlessly and leaned to turn on another lamp.

"No," he mumbled. "Don't."

She frowned. "Why?"

"I don't like bright places…they don't feel like home," he said quietly. "No one knows that."

"I can't sleep in the dark anymore. Not since…5th year."

Draco stood over her shoulder. He could feel her warmth without touching. He quickly turned away. That was enough secrets for one day.

* * *

The tenth day was frustrating.

Hermione watched Draco coolly. "I told you would be difficult."

He was pacing again. "Shut the fuck up."

She turned away from him. Hermione listened to him fail at doing the charm again while her eyes swept the room. She was almost positive the map was in the room somewhere. Sometimes when she got up from the table to stretch her legs, he would watch her every move with suspicion. It was a small comfort to know that he didn't have it at his disposal at all times, but that just made the map harder to get to. Especially since Draco spent all his time in the room.

"I know your weakness," she said boldly.

Draco stiffened. He turned to her, wand raised. "You don't know anything about me."

"That's your weakness right there."

He frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You figure it out."

* * *

They were on patrol duty again. They were both itching to get back to the Room of Requirement. Draco's itch was from necessity. Hermione's was from determination.

Draco pulled a flask from his cloak and took a swig.

"What is that?" she asked suspiciously.

"Well it sure as fuck isn't pumpkin juice." He smirked at her. "Want some?" His eyes glittered daringly.

"I don't drink."

Draco snorted. "Typical."

She glared at him, snatched the flask, and took a swig. "It's butterbeer!"

"Sure. What did you think it was?" His grey eyes were wide and innocent.

"You know what I thought it was," she replied snippily.

"I know your thoughts now?" he asked.

"No more that I know yours."

"Then I don't know them at all," he said quietly.

They walked in silence for a while.

"I tell people I'm allergic to tomatoes," she said, "but I'm really not. I just don't like them."

"Sneaky. How Slytherin of you."

"Hardly." She pursed her lips. "What about you? Tell me something no one knows."

"I don't like my hair."

Hermione gapped at him. "But your hair is so pretty."

He glared at her. "Exactly. I want sinister hair."

"Like Snape's?"

"No his hair is creepy."

She laughed. "How can hair be sinister anyway? You should go bald."

His horrified look said it all.

Blasphemy.

Hermione laughed again.


	4. Chapter 4

* * *

Chapter 4

Day 26: Anger

"Why isn't it working!" Hermione screamed in frustration. Her breath came out in pants from exhausting herself.

"Put your wand down before you hurt yourself," Draco drawled.

Hermione glared at him. "No, I have to get this right."

"You're not going to if you're too mad to think clearly!"

She slammed her wand down on the table in anger. She held up her empty hands to him. "Happy?"

He could see the callous she formed on her palm from endless nights of clutching her wand.

Draco had the same one on his hand.

"No," he said.

"Of course not," she muttered angrily. "Nothing makes you happy."

Draco's jaw clenched. "I don't expect to ever be happy."

Her heart clenched. She felt sorry for him. That's something Hermione never thought she would feel for him. Draco was an arrogant soiled bigot. That probably would never change, but there was something deeper to him than that. Vulnerability. She put a hesitant hand on his shoulder. To her surprise, he let it sit there for a second before brushing it off.

"I don't know if I'll live to see 7th year," she admitted.

Silence.

"Me neither."

* * *

"I want you to stop, Hermione," Ron pleaded.

"No."

"You're changing. He's changing you and I don't like it."

She scowled at him over her breakfast. "I'm not changing."

He pointed accusingly at her face. "There, proof!"

"What are you talking about?"

"The look on your face. It reminds me of _him_."

"Good for you," she muttered before biting into her muffin.

"I just want my friend back."

She didn't want to be just his friend.

"You spend all your time with him," Ron complained. "Me and Harry miss you."

Hermione sighed. "I'm trying to get the map back-"

"Fuck the map," he hissed angrily.

She was shocked. "What?"

"Fuck the map," Ron repeated. "He hasn't done anything horrible with it. The bloody idiot probably doesn't know what he's got."

Ron shouldn't call anyone an idiot.

"Stop throwing stones when you live in a glass house." Hermione used Muggle sayings to say what she was thinking without him understanding. It was like speaking another language to Ron.

He frowned in confusion. "What?"

_Bloody idiot_.

"Nothing, just a dumb Muggle saying."

Ron shrugged. "All I'm saying is that I'm worried about you."

Her face softened. "Oh Ron…"

"I mean you're already bossy. You don't need him rubbing off on you. Can you image how horrible that would be? You'd be _unbearable _to be around."

"That would be _sooo_ horrible for you wouldn't it, Ron," she hissed. "Everybody has to drop what they're doing, because Ron's feelings are so much more _bloody important_ than everyone else's!"

Ron's face turned red. "Fine, since you don't care about how I feel I'll just sit with someone who does."

He got up and sat next to Lavender who had been eying them suspiciously through their entire conversation. Ron glared at her one more time before latching his lips on his girlfriend. Her heart clenched. Hermione turned away.

"He's an idiot," Ginny said consolingly.

"I know."

"I know my brother is slow, but he'll come around."

"I'm not going to wait for him forever."

She nodded. "I don't think he's realized that yet."

Hermione glared at her breakfast bitterly. She wasn't hungry anymore.

"You shouldn't wait for him," Ginny said. "It only makes it easier for him to be stupid."

Ginny was right.

* * *

Hermione yawned widely as she shuffled down the dark corridor.

Draco turned to look at her over his shoulder. "Hurry up, Granger. We're almost done with patrol."

She glared at him, but was too tired to put any heat behind it. "Maybe you can function on fifteen hours of sleep a week, but I can't."

He slowed his pace with a huff. "That's because you need WAY more beauty sleep than I do."

"Ha ha," she muttered dryly.

Suddenly there was a cackling laugh echoing down the corridor. Hermione turned to see Peeves at the end of the hall holding a large desk above his head. Her eyes widened. She turned to look at Draco, but he was already down the hall, running as if his life depended on it.

Hermione took off after him. She ignored the burning in her chest (she really needed to work out more) and sped up her pace to catch up with Draco. It was amazing how fear of getting squashed could make her run like a track star. As her legs carried her closer to the sprinting Slytherin, she wondered if she was breaking any world records. Hermione finally fell in step with Draco.

Draco glanced at her, looking surprised and a little impressed. She sent him a heated glare. They rounded the corner. Peeves' cackles were getting louder. Hermione grit her teeth and ran faster. She was developing a painful stitch in her side. Hermione slowed down slightly. Draco grabbed her wrist and pulled her along behind him. She clenched her teeth tighter and matched his pace.

They rounded another corner. Peeves was gaining on them. Draco released her wrist and sped out in front of her. Hermione glared at his back, positive that he decided to leave her behind. He ran to the door of the Room of Requirement and swung it open. She sped up. He held the door open for her. Hermione sprinted into the room. Draco slammed the door shut.

They fell out on the couch with their breath rasping from their lips.

"You think…he can…come through…the wall?" Hermione asked between pants.

"I don't know…we'll see." He wasn't as out of breath as she.

They lie on the couch in silence, catching their breath, and waiting. Once she realized they realized they were safe, Hermione smacked Draco in the head with a pillow.

"What was that for?"

"For being a coward," she huffed.

Draco shrugged. "You call it being a coward. I call it being smart."

"You left me."

He looked a little offended. "No I didn't."

"You almost did. You would've left me."

He shrugged again. "I thought you'd be smart enough to run. If you didn't, then you wouldn't be as intelligent as I assumed you were."

Hermione eyed him, wondering she should be irritated or flattered. "I'm a Gryffindor. I'm not accustomed to running away."

"Yes, I always said there was a thin line between bravery and stupidity."

She laughed and threw another pillow at him.

* * *

Day 28: Madness

Hermione stared into the air. Her eyes hurt from reading too much. Her hands hurt from gripping her wand so tight. Spending so much time in the room was starting to get to her. Its walls were suffocating.

"Well?" His voice didn't have its usual venom. He felt weary down to his bones.

Her dull eyes dragged over to his pale face. "It's an s not an f."

Draco looked at her like she was crazy. "What are you on about?"

Her face cracked into a weird smile that sat strangely on her face. "That's why the charm isn't working. We've been saying it wrong. It's not an f. It's an Old English s. That's why it's big. What we thought was a line going through it, is just a smudge."

He grabbed the book from her. "It's an f."

"Look harder."

Draco squinted at it for a moment. "It's an s…"

Laughter gurgled horribly from her throat. Draco laughed with her to keep from screaming.

"We wasted so much time."

"It'll still be hard to do," she said quietly.

"We wasted so much time."

"It'll still take some time."

"WE WASTED SO MUCH FUCKING TIME!" Draco threw the book at the stacks of books in the corner. The books toppled to the floor.

"Now it's going to take more time. We need to find the book now…"

"Tell me something!" he demanded. He needed it to calm down.

"I've lost faith in love," she blurted out. "Love doesn't mean anything."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Don't believe in love, Granger?"

"I believe in love. I just don't have anything faith in it anymore."

"I don't have faith in anyone or anything," he said it as if he were boasting.

Draco didn't fool her.

"That must be lonely."

He glared at her. "I don't need your pity!"

Silence.

Hermione turned away from him.

"I should pity you," he said cruelly. "I know why you lost faith in love-"

"Don't."

"You love that pathetic weasel."

"_Don't."_

"And he doesn't love you back and he rubs it in your face every chance he gets."

"SHUT UP!" Hermione threw a book at him, but she had horrible aim so she missed his face by a foot.

He chuckled. "Was that supposed to hit me?"

Her laughter came out in choked sobs—stuck between amusement and sadness. "I wish I had better aim."

Draco walked over to where she was sitting. He placed a hand on her head. He figured touching her hair wasn't the same as touching her. He shoved a flask in her face. "Drink."

"What is it?"

"It ain't butterbeer."

She grabbed the cold flask and put it to her lips. The fire whiskey burned down her throat. She sputtered. He took the flask from her and took a swig. Draco shuddered as the liquor filled him with warm. His hand slipped to her shoulder. Hermione tensed. He dropped his hand.

"I want to do something crazy," she said.

"Like what?"

Hermione shrugged. "Something so crazy that no one would believe it."

"Me too."

"What?" She turned to face him.

"I want to do something no one would believe." He leaned close to her.

So close she could taste the whiskey on his breath.

"Like what?" Hermione asked quietly.

"Streak with me."

Her eyes narrowed. "I'd have to drink way more fire whiskey before I ever agree to that."

Draco pulled away from her. "That's what I thought."

Hermione glared at him. She took two more giant swallows of whiskey and pulled off her jumper. His eyes widened. He didn't believe she would really do it. Draco stopped her when her hands went to loosen her tie.

"Okay, I believe you," he said.

"That's nice." Hermione pulled off her tie.

"Come on, stop it."

"Why?"

"I don't want you to."

"Oh." She didn't know why that hurt. Maybe it was the whiskey. Maybe the room really was driving her crazy.

"You're too good."

"For what?"

"You're just too good," he said simply.

"You're good, too. You just won't admit it. Being good doesn't make you weak, you know."

Draco glared at her. "Being good doesn't get you what you want."

Hermione shook her head sadly. "Everything has consequences, Malfoy. It's called karma."

"I'm untouchable."

She gave him a small smile. "No you're not."

"What do you know?" he asked bitterly.

"I know I can touch you."

His grey eyes glittered dangerously, daringly. "Then touch me."

Hermione looked away.

"Go ahead. Touch me."

She stayed where she was. "That's not what I meant."

"I don't care," he said. "Try it anyway."

She stayed still, quiet.

"Nothing can touch me," Draco said firmly. He walked away from her and went to search for the book he threw. She was right. It would be difficult to find.

"Draco…"

He stiffened at the sound of his first name. No one called him that except his parents and Pansy. Somehow it sounded different when Hermione said it. Better. He didn't like it.

"Draco…"

He didn't like that he liked it. He turned around and was surprised to find her so close. "What, Granger?"

Hermione looked into his eyes. Draco scowled down at her trying to discourage her. She smiled her small smile. Her version of smirking. He liked the gleam in her eye when she smiled like that. His scowl deepened. She reached up and pulled him down by his tie until they were nose to nose. They stood like that for a moment. A long moment. He could feel the heat from her skin.

"Let's switch places," she murmured.

"Huh?"

"I'll be bad and you'll be good."

"Wh-"

Hermione kissed him. She cupped his cold skin with one hand and ran her fingers through his hair with the other. It was as silky as it looked. No wonder why Pansy always hand her hands in it. Draco stood there, letting her feel him. Her touch was more comforting than he could've ever imagined. He had been starving for the warmth she was giving him.

She pulled away just before he could react. "There. I believe I just killed two birds with one stone."

"How's that?" he breathed.

"I did something crazy, and I touched you," she said proudly with a wicked gleam in her eye.

Draco was beginning to think she was the dangerous one.

* * *

"Ron's trying to ignore you," Harry said with mild amusement.

"I'm ignoring him ignoring me," Hermione replied. "I really can't be bothered by his childishness."

She was trying to finish her Arthimancy essay before she snuck out to help Draco. Hermione tucked herself away in a quiet corner of the Gryffindor common room. Ron was sitting on the couch with Lavender who insisted on cuddling even though it was hot next to the fire place. He was so hot that his face was flushed, and his skin was glazed. She could tell it was uncomfortable for him.

Good.

"He's just worried about you," Harry said.

Good.

"Well I can't control how he feels," Hermione muttered.

"Yes you can."

Hermione looked at him shrewdly. "I'm really past the point of caring how he feels."

Harry sighed in defeat. He leaned back in the hair he was sitting in and watched her concentrate on her essay with more focus than necessary. She was gripping her quill so tight that it was slightly bent. Harry looked over at Ron who was trying to discretely creep out of his girlfriend's clutches. Ron caught Harry's eye pleadingly.

Harry sighed. "Ron, can you come look at this Transfiguration assignment?"

Ron jumped up eagerly. "Sure."

Lavender huffed. "But Won Won…"

He held her hands and looked into her eyes. "He_ needs_ me."

Hermione snorted.

Ron sent her a glare before leaning down to kiss Lavender. He gave her hand one more squeeze and walked over to Hermione and Harry. The Weasel looked smug. He glanced at her to see if he had upset her. He was surprised to see Hermione smirking to herself as she worked on her essay.

He thought he was hot stuff, because he kissed Lavender Brown. So what? Almost every bloke in their year could say that.

She kissed DracoMalfoy_. Beat that._

Her smirk grew.

Harry and Ron exchanged glances. Since when did Hermione smirk? Ron leaned down to whisper something in Harry's ear. She hated when Ron did that. He needed to grow up already. The quill in her hand bent a little more.

Harry nodded. "Hermione, Ron says-"

"Tell Ron that I don't want to hear what he says unless he decides to say it to me." Hermione stood and gathered up her things.

"What's taking you so long to get the map back?" Ron hissed. "I thought you were so against spending time with Malfoy so what's the rush?" He glared at her. "You like him don't you? You like being around him-"

"Of course she doesn't," Harry objected.

Ron ignored him. "It's sad really. You've gone completely mental. Malfoy would never like you-"

"I'll have you know Ronald Bilius Weasley that _plenty _of guys like me," Hermione said bitterly. "You're the only one too busy being a bloody git to notice. I don't have to chase after guys who don't have the decency to notice that I'm a person with feelings that shouldn't be toyed with."

Ron opened his mouth to speak.

She cut him off. "And furthermore, I don't have time to waste on you. I have somewhere to be."

Hermione spun on her heel and left. As soon as she was out in the hall, her shoulders sagged so low her shoulder bag fell to the ground. She dragged it behind her as she slunk to the Room of Requirement. Draco was already at the door, holding it open for her. Hermione walked inside. Let day 29 begin.

"I got the charm to work, but the incantation isn't right," he said.

She frowned. "Are you sure you said it right?"

"Of course I said it right. I'm not completely inept."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "No one said you were, Draco."

There she goes. Saying his name again.

"Granger, about last night-"

She held up her hand to stop him. "Don't worry. It won't happen again. We already wasted too much time as it is. We don't need any more distractions."

Draco gave her a curt nod.

Hermione sat down in her usual spot. "Hand me the parchment with the incantation."

He slipped it into the hand waiting over her shoulder.

She placed it in front of her and frowned at it as if that would help her find a solution to their problem. "Are you sure you said the right one?"

"Yes I'm fucking sure," Draco huffed. "You must have me confused with Weasley."

Hermione stiffened at the sound of his name.

Draco moved to put a hand on her shoulder, but dropped it before it reached its destination. "What did he do?"

She shook her head. "I'm just tired of him being childish and selfish."

Draco could have made a snide joke but didn't. "He doesn't know what he's got. Maybe you should make him jealous."

Hermione turned to look at him over her shoulder. "And why would that work?"

He shrugged. "It worked on me third year when Pansy kept flirting with Nott."

"Oh." She turned back around. "I don't want to play games…with love."

"I thought you said you lost faith in it."

"I did. I stop believing that love always made people happy, but that doesn't mean I don't take it seriously."

They fell into an easy silence for a moment.

"Have you ever been in love, Draco?" she asked quietly.

"No." His answer came quick.

"Well, you're not missing out on anything."

Draco sat on the table to face her. "Well if it was me, I would go after the person I wanted. Where's that Gryffindor spirit of yours? Aren't you people supposed to be all proud and ready for a fight or something lame like that?"

She nodded slowly with a fire igniting in her eyes. "Yes, you're right. I'll give it one more go, but I'm not going to spend the rest of my life chasing after him though."

He rolled his eyes. "I should hope not."

She rolled her eyes in agreement. "Let's get to work."

Draco slid off the table and retrieved a couple books from the 'useful' pile. He handed her one before moving to sit on the small couch. They read in silence for a few minutes. Hermione scanned page after page with renewed determination. She had spent too much time dithering about. She would get the cabinet fixed and get the map. No more games, Hermione Granger meant serious business.

"I think I found something," she murmured.

Draco walked over and stood behind her. She indicated a passage with a slender finger. He squinted. The text was too small for him to make out. Draco leaned over Hermione's shoulder but the words were still blurry. Ignoring the welcoming heat of her skin, he put on his glasses.

Hermione turned to him. "What do you think?"

She noticed to things: 1. Draco's face was very close to hers and 2. Draco Malfoy had on glasses.

She raised an eyebrow. "Since when does Draco Malfoy wear glasses?"

He glared at her crossly reminding her of Professor McGonagall. "Since I was seven. I'm near sighted. And if you tell anyone I swear I'll kill you."

Hermione pretended to shake with fear. "Oh no, I'm so intimidated."

"I'm not joking-"

"Don't worry. You're secret's safe with me. All your secrets are safe with me."

Draco gave her a strange look. "I know."

* * *

Hermione loved the library. Probably more than she loved Ron and that almost wasn't an exaggeration. The endless volumes of knowledge called her. They were kindred spirits, she and it. That was why she had chosen to sulk among its comforting stacks. She had been there for twenty minutes racking her brain for someone suitable to make Ron jealous with. Truth be told, she didn't have a bunch of wizards knocking down her door. Hermione only said that make Ron angry.

She had mentally went through the list of males she knew and wrote them all off. Dean was taken by Ginny. Neville wouldn't make anyone jealous. Zacharias and Ernie were out of the question for obvious reasons (they were both gits). Michael Corner was taken by Cho Chang. Anthony Goldstein would have been a perfect candidate if only she knew him well enough to ask him on a date. Draco was also out of the question for obvious reasons.

Hermione sighed heavily while running a hand through her frizzy hair. It was hopeless. She knew trying to make Ron jealous was a bad idea. She should've kept Viktor around for a time like this. She trudged dejected through the aisles until she came across Draco and Cormac sitting at a secluded table. Hermione caught Draco's eye and smiled. He crooked a beckoning finger at her. She raised an eyebrow at him. He rolled his eyes and waved her over impatiently.

Curious, Hermione strolled over to the pair. "Malfoy?"

She never called him Draco in public.

"I just wanted you to know that we have patrol duty next week." His grey eyes flicked over to Cormac.

Hermione glanced over at the tutor who she was surprised to find staring at her. She jerked her eyes back to Draco. "What day?"

Draco flicked his eyes to Cormac again with irritation. "Wednesday."

She raised a quizzical eyebrow at him. "Where did you want to meet up?"

Draco scowled at her. For someone who was supposed to be smart, she was pretty dense sometimes. "In front of the Great Hall."

"Alright."

Did he have to spell it out for her? "I hope you're happy. I had to reschedule it because of that Slug Club party you're going to."

Hint, hint.

"Oh." She looked at him blankly. She still didn't get it.

"I've had to reschedule loads of appointments because of that stupid party. Like these tutoring sessions because, you know, McLaggen's going to be there, too."

HINT HINT!

McLaggen, who had been staring at Hermione the entire time, finally spoke up. "Yes, I've been looking for a date to go with."

HINT HINT!!!!!

If she didn't catch on by then, then there was simply no help for her.

"Oh well uh I don't have I date either," she said, finally catching on.

"Would you like to go with me?" Cormac asked.

She smiled. "Yes that would be lovely."

* * *

Draco held the door open for her. "You left ea-" His words died on his lips when he took in Hermione's appearance.

Hermione stared up at him with eyes red and puffy from held in tears. Her hair, which she had worked on for hours, was a tangled mass of glossy curls. One strap of her dress hung off her shoulder. It had slipped down when she ran. She was holding a pair of insensible heels that Ginny insisted she wear in one hand and was furiously trying to wipe off her smudged lipstick with the other. Hermione knew she looked like a train wreck which was decidedly worse than looking like shit.

She pushed past him into the room. Hermione flopped down on the couch and began rubbing her sore feet.

"What happened?"

Hermione looked up at him with glassy eyes. "McLaggen got a little too…fresh."

He didn't have the heart to make fun of her for being the only person under the age of 65 to use the word 'fresh'.

"What did he do?" Draco looked at her darkly.

"He kissed me under the mistletoe and he-he tried to touch me…"

Draco stiffened. "Where?"

"Where he shouldn't," she said vaguely. "I shoved him away and ran here."

He sat down next to her and held out his flask wordlessly.

"This better not be butterbeer," she warned.

"Of course not." Draco smirked.

He was shocked when she smirked back at him before taking a swig of fire whiskey. Hermione shuddered as the fiery liquid burned down her throat.

"I think I've become a bad influence on you," he declared smugly.

Hermione just smirked at him again. He liked the teasing look in her eyes when she smirked.

"I'll be good, if you promise to be bad," Draco whispered before he pressed his lips to hers.

Draco couldn't stop himself. It had been so long since the last time he'd been with Pansy. And Pansy had threatened any girl that tried to get close to him. He was wound so tight he was ready to explode from frustration. He needed to feel her. He needed her to feel him. Hermione's eyes fluttered shut. He wound his hands in her messy hair. She crushed her lips to his feverishly. Draco bore her down onto the couch. He swept his tongue inside her mouth, tasting the fire whiskey. He wrapped a hand around her bare calf. His cold fingers scorched her heated skin. Draco pulled her leg around his waist.

Hermione's eyes fluttered open. "What…what are we…"

"Shhh…you think too much, Granger." He murmured before grinding into her with a groan.

"Uhhh…bu-uhhhh…" Her hips jerked up. "W-wait…"

"Shhhh."

Hermione turned her face away from him when he leaned in to kiss her, trying to clear her head. "I should go."

"Give me a few minutes and see if you still think you should go," Draco murmured against the skin of her neck. He ran his lips along it sending electric currents all the way to her toes.

His touch made her feel even drunker than the firewhiskey had. Her head lolled to the side, arching her neck towards his mouth. His slender hands ran up and down her thighs. She closed her eyes. Her breath stuttered. His hands made their way up her torso and stopped just below her breasts.

"Can I touch you here?"

This was too much.

Hermione opened her eyes and stared into his.

"What?" she croaked.

"Can I touch you here?" he whispered huskily as his fingertips brushed the under wire of her bra.

She didn't know what to say. No one had ever touched her there. No one. Hermione had always thought when the time was right she would let them. She didn't expect to actually verbalize her permission. She thought he would just know. The thought of saying 'yes you may touch my breasts' made her nervous and embarrassed.

Draco watched as her brown eyes shifted from right to left. With flushed cheeks, she nodded without looking at him. He slowly moved his hand to cup her as if he was trying not to scare her. He was gentle at first then firmer. Hermione felt dizzy like her brain wasn't getting enough oxygen. It felt like he was setting her body on fire. Her skin was hot all over.

"Has anyone touched you here before?" he asked in a hoarse voice.

But Hermione wasn't listening to him. Draco stopped caressing her. She cracked an eye open and hissed, "What?"

"Has anyone touched you here?"

"No," Hermione whispered. "Just you."

Suddenly he pulled away. Hermione looked up at him through hazy eyes and shivered from the cold and the need.

"What is it?" she asked.

"You should go," Draco said coldly.

"What?"

"Go."

"I don't understand. What did I do?"

Draco got off the couch to tower over her. "This is wrong. I should never have…"

Hermione felt cold all the way to her toes. "Should never have what?"

He started pacing along the path he had worn into the old rug. "Just leave, Granger."

Hermione stood slowly. She righted her dress, picked up her shoes, and walked to the door. Then she stopped with her back to him and said, "Why?"

"What?"

"Why should I leave?"

Silence.

"Is it because I'm ugly?" she asked softly. "Is my hair too bushy? My teeth too big? Do I have too many freckles?"

Silence.

"Or is it because I'm too smart? Is that the reason why the only boys who ever liked me either couldn't speak English or didn't listen to a word I've said."

Hermione slowly turned around. Her face was red and her eyes were swollen. "Or is it because I'm a muggle born? Filthy? Unfit to walk the earth?"

His grey eyes were cold and unreadable.

"Answer me!" She threw a shoe at his chest. "It's all three isn't it?! I'm an ugly muggle born know-it-all! Nothing but a filthy Mudblood! That's why you can't even touch me." Hermione walked over to him. "Keep your stupid Time-Turner. Fix the damn cabinet yourself." She snatched the shoe off the floor and left.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

When Hermione returned from Christmas break, she ignored Draco. She didn't look at him. Whenever people spoke of him, she didn't listen. She tried not to think of him, because that only served to make her feel bitter. Hermione became more distant from her friends. Harry's time was split between his secret meetings with Dumbledore and obsessing over Draco Malfoy. Ron replaced his friends with Lavender. Even Ginny was starting to grow distant. The youngest Weasley was constantly on edge, snapping at everyone and everything. Especially her poor boyfriend Dean.

Hermione was on her way to go meet Ginny when she heard Ginny's voice coming from a broom closet.

"What do you want from me?" Ginny hissed.

Hermione curled her hand around her wand and hovered outside of the door.

"I don't know," a male's voice answered.

The voice was not Dean's.

"You have to make up your mind," Ginny hissed back. "Either you want to be with me or you don't. You can't tell me you want nothing to do with me and have the nerve to get angry that I've moved on."

"I'm not mad over that-that-_insignificant _boy of yours."

"If you're not mad, then why did you pull me in here to yell at me about him in the first place?"

Silence.

Ginny laughed without humor. "I'm so tired of you thinking you can treat people however the hell you want. I've got news for you. The sun does not rise and set on your rich, pure blood, bigoted ass. I don't have time to waste waiting for someone who is too embarrassed of me to have a conversation in the corridor like normal people."

Hermione scrambled to hide when she realized someone was moving towards the door. She looked up and down the hall, but there was nothing to hide behind. The door swung open with a bang. Hermione stared wide-eyed at Ginny Weasley and Blaise Zabini. They three teens stared at each other as if the whole situation would disappear if they stared long enough.

Hermione looked from Ginny to Blaise. She nodded curtly. "Zabini."

He nodded back. "Granger."

"Well, it was nice seeing you." Hermione turned on her heel and stalked down the hall.

"Hermione, wait!" Ginny sprinted after her. "How much did you hear?"

"Enough," Hermione said vaguely.

"Please," Ginny pleaded, " you have to understand that-"

Hermione held up her hand to silence her friend. "You don't have to explain anything. I'm not mad. Just really _really_ REALLY surprised."

Relief flooded the red head's face. "Oh bless you." She flung her arms around Hermione.

She gasped. "Can't…breathe…"

Ginny let go. "Sorry! It's just that this has really been hard for me with no one to talk to. The guilt was really tearing me apart."

"Guilt?" she scoffed. "Why should you feel guilty? Because Zabini is a Slytherin? Merlin, Ginny, you're acting like he's a Death Eater or something."

Ginny looked sheepish. "I didn't know how you would take it. Blaise hasn't been the nicest person to you."

Hermione pursed her lips. "He hasn't been the nicest person to you either."

She sighed. "Yes I know."

"Tell me what's going on."

Ginny looked up and down the empty corridor. "It started because of the Slug Club meetings. He kept staring at me. Well it got on my nerves so after one of the meetings I told him to stop to staring and he said no. Just like that. No. Then he started staring at me during meals, in the halls, and during Quidditch matches. Then he started leaving me presents. Small things. Things that he knew I wanted."

"He sounds like a stalker," Hermione said warily.

Ginny laughed. "I know I should've been scared, but it was…exciting and dangerous. He started sending me notes to meet him places after curfew. We would stay up and talk for hours and hours. Eventually we…we got really close, but he still wouldn't acknowledge me in public and I know he calls me a filthy blood traitor behind my back. It just hurt too much. I broke it off. I stopped meeting him. If he sent me a letter, I'd send it back unopened. He confronted me at the Christmas party, drunk, and demanded I break up with Dean. I just chalked it up to firewhiskey, but when he pulled me into the closet…I don't know. I don't know what to think."

"Well I think you shouldn't bother with someone who doesn't have the courage to be with you," Hermione muttered darkly.

"Yeah I know," Ginny sighed. "Believe me. I know."

Hermione patted her on the shoulder consolingly.

"I'm sorry that I've been a terrible friend this year," Ginny said.

Hermione waved off her friend's apology. "It's okay."

"So speaking of Slytherins, how's it going with Malfoy?"

She stiffened. "It's not going. I'm not speaking to him anymore."

"Really? What happened?"

Hermione told her the whole story, starting with Day One and ending with the night of the Christmas party. "And I haven't talked to that git since."

After a moment of silence, Ginny said, "I think you're being unfair."

Hermione sputtered. "What?"

"I mean I understand why you were upset, but it wasn't anything that you should stop talking to him over. From what you tell me, you two were friends."

Hermione nodded hesitantly. "I guess. In a way. Sorta."

"I don't know if you've noticed but Malfoy's been looking like shit since we got back from break. He looks real torn up."

"I don't know what he's so upset about ," Hermione muttered darkly. "It wasn't like I seduced him, touched him in places that no one has touched, forced him to let his guard down and trust me, and then kicked him out the room like a cheap whore."

"Wow," Ginny eyed Hermione's reddening face, "you're still pretty mad about it aren't you?"

"He was rude to me. I have every right to be upset."

"I think you should give him another chance."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Who said he wanted one?"

"His shitty face says so," Ginny retorted.

"No. It was a stupid plan anyway. I should never have let Ron and Harry talk me into it. They can go get the map themselves . They're the ones that got it lost in first place. I don't see how it became my responsibility anyway. I can't believe I got talked into something-something so-so idiotic!"

Ginny shrugged. "Fine. Don't talk to him. No one's gonna make you."

Hermione was huffing from using so much breath during her rant. "Good because I'm never talking to him ever again."

* * *

"Malfoy!" Hermione ran to catch up to him.

Draco turned slowly. "What?"

Padma frowned at Hermione. "Can't it wait until tomorrow? We're doing our rounds. Shouldn't you be in your dormitory? It is after curfew."

Hermione frowned back at Padma. "I'm sorry but I was talking to Malfoy."

Padma turned her glare on Draco. "Do you want to speak to her?"

Draco looked between Padma and Hermione before waving Hermione over so their conversation could be more private. Hermione resisted the urge to shoot a smirk at Padma who had been snide towards her ever since she went to the Yule Ball with Krum.

"I am assuming this is important, Granger."

Hermione looked up at him for the first time in weeks. She couldn't help staring. He really did look awful. His eyes were rimmed in red with dark smudges underneath from lack of sleep. His usually immaculate appearance was haggard like he had been wearing the same clothes for three days straight without showering or shaving. And his hair, his oh so beautiful hair, was lank without the glory of its softness or sheen.

Ginny had been right. He did look like shit.

"Here." Hermione took his hand and slipped something hard and cold inside it.

Draco examined the vial of silvery liquid. "A memory?"

"Yeah I thought you might want to see it." Hermione turned to leave.

"Wait." His voice was hoarse. "What happened—the night of the party I-"

"It's fine. Like I said I won't bother you anymore." She turned on her heal and ran down the dark corridor.

He stared after her until he could no longer hear the echoes of her retreat.

Padma sniffed. "Are you ready, yet?"

"Yeah," he muttered as he slid the vile into his pocket. "Let's split up."

"But we're supposed to stick together."

"I don't care what we're supposed to do," Draco snapped. "I don't feel like patrolling this damned castle all night. I'll go this way and you go that way."

Before Padma could respond, he stalked off in the direction he said he was going to go. He didn't hear her mutter darkly to herself about him and Hermione. Draco hurried down to the dungeons. He stopped outside the Potions class and whispered the password that unlocked the door. He slipped into the empty classroom. Draco walked over to the small room in the back where Snape kept his personal stash. Draco unlocked the cabinet with the Pensieve. He dumped the slivery liquid inside.

Draco leaned eagerly over the basin until he was sucked into the memory. He took a moment to gather his bearings. He was standing a hallway next to Ginny and Hermione. It must have been earlier that day because Hermione had a smudge of ink on her hand that she got taking notes in Arthimancy.

Ginny shrugged. "Fine. Don't talk to him. No one's gonna make you."

"Good because I'm never talking to him ever again." Hermione was red in the face either from embarrassment or anger.

Ginny shook her head knowingly.

"What?" Hermione asked with irritation.

"It's just that that's what I kept saying about Blaise and look at me."

Draco couldn't help but gape. So Zabini was having a torrid affair with a poor blood traitor. He filed this information away for later use against his housemate.

Hermione shook her head. "Not me. If I say I'm going to do something then I do it. Speaking of which, we're supposed to be going to the library to study."

"Oh yeah." Ginny looked sheepish. "I uh never got a chance to get my books with me being accosted and all. I'll go get them and meet you there."

"Okay." Hermione waved and headed towards the library.

Draco followed behind her. She looked so real, like he could reach out and touch her. But he knew from past experience that memories were just memories. Fixed moments in time. There was no changing the past. No changing fate, either.

Hermione slowed her steps as she neared voices. She had an odd look on her face. She shook her head to herself while edging closer.

"What do you want from me?" He recognized Pansy's voice.

"You already know." The quiet voice belonged to Nott.

"You've practically got it so piss off."

"What do you want me to do? I've done everything-"

"Yes, you've done everything to fuck up my life."

"That's not fair."

Draco snickered. Fair wasn't even in Pansy's vocabulary.

Pansy's laughed without humor. "We are both aware that there is no such thing as fair."

"What has Malfoy ever done for you?" Nott seethed. "He was only going to bring you down with him."

"No he won't, thanks to you," she hissed bitterly.

"Yes thanks to me," he snapped. "After he fails-"

"Draco won't fail!" Pansy clenched her fists. "What makes you think you could be better than him? How dare you? He was born better than you. He'll die better than you-"

"Yes he will die. He will fail, and he will die. What good will he be to you rotting in some grave?"

"Shut up!" Pansy slapped Nott across the face. "I will never love you. Whether or not Draco is alive makes no difference."

She spun on her heal and stormed down the hall. Nott stared after her while he rubbed his red cheek.

Then the memory faded.

Draco half expected Hermione to show up in the Room of Requirement that night. He kept checking the map, but her name stayed in her room. He paced so much he was sure he was going to wear a hole into the rug. What was Nott planning? What was Nott planning? Did Lord Voldemort give him a mission as well? Did Lord Voldemort send Nott to kill him? Who had Nott allied himself with? Draco couldn't trust anyone in the Slytherin house at this point. He had grown distant to his people. Even Crabbe and Goyle were showing signs of turning mutinous.

Draco paced back and forth. Back and forth. Sweat seeped through his pale skin until it matted down his fine hair. His teeth worried his chapped lips. Who could he trust? No one. Who could he blackmail or manipulate to his side? Zabini definitely. Perhaps Pansy. He could easily trick Crabbe and Goyle back to his side. Greengrass' loyalty was still unclear, but it couldn't hurt to try. And Hermione…He could trust Hermione…

* * *

Two days later, Hermione slunk into breakfast while yawning. Even though she no longer spent her nights in the Room of Requirement, her sleeping pattern still had not adjusted back. She couldn't sleep so she spent the whole night pacing. She sunk into a seat in between Ginny and Harry.

"Guess who just formed D.A. two point oh," Harry said.

"Who?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Malfoy."

Hermione choked on her pumpkin juice. "What?" she gasped as soon as she could breathe.

"Not Dumbledore's Army," Ginny clarified as she rubbed her on her back. "Draco's Army."

Hermione frowned and turned to look at the Slytherin table. The Slytherins were gathered on either end of the table with a visible line between the two groups. Draco was sitting with the decidedly smaller group which consisted of Crabbe, Goyle, Daphne and Astoria Greengrass, Zabini, and about four people she didn't know the names of. Everyone else was seated with Theodore Nott including Draco's former love interest, Pansy.

"Slytherin drama," Harry said.

The two girls nodded absently at his comment. They glanced at each other with worried expressions that Harry didn't see.

Draco sat amongst his minions deep in thought. He decided that it was rather cool to be a part of a splinter group rather than an empire. For starters he didn't have to constantly worry about the people trying to steal his position. While it didn't make him sleep any easier at night, it did take some of the weight of his shoulders. He felt deliciously devious. Plotting a hostile takeover was turning out to be more fun than he had remembered.

Draco glanced coolly across enemy lines. Nott held his composure well, but it was only a matter of time before he crumbled under the pressure of being king. And when Nott was down, there Draco would be to grind him further into the dirt. A nasty smirk spread across Draco's face. A first year on Nott's side cowered slightly in fear. His smirk grew wider. He knew who he'd be targeting next.

Draco dragged his eyes away to survey the area. His grey locked on a pair of brown across the hall. His smirk slipped him his lips. Her eyes were filled with worry. Suddenly thoughts of domination evaporated. When his eyes locked on her, he knew she would have to be next.

* * *

Blaise bumped into Hermione so hard that her bag fell off her shoulder and scattered her books down the corridor. Ginny glared at him and stooped to help retrieve the books.

"You could at least say excuse me, you arrogant git!" Ginny seethed.

Blaise's black eyes softened slightly before hardening. "Why should I? I thought Granger would be more comfortable in the dirt with them being kin and all."

Ginny's face resembled a tomato. She opened her mouth to speak but Hermione shook her head. Blaise turned on his heel and stalked down the corridor.

"I can't believe the nerve of him!" Ginny hissed.

"Ginny-"

"I mean, he keeps trying to tell me how he's different-"

"Ginny-"

"-but he's the same as all of those bigots-"

"Ginny!" Hermione huffed.

"What?"

"Zabini slipped me a note from Draco." Hermione showed her the small envelope in her hand.

"But Blaise doesn't even like Malfoy." Ginny frowned in confusion. "Why would he-"

"There's a note for you, too." Hermione handed her the other envelope.

"Really?" Ginny tried to sound calm, but she greedily snatched the note from her. "It's from Blaise."

Hermione tore in the letter. Ginny decided it wasn't necessary to keep up pretenses and tore into hers as well. The two girls quickly scanned the letters with twin expressions of dread.

"He wants to meet," Hermione murmured.

"Malfoy knows about…about _us_," Ginny gasped.

"What?" Hermione never made a memory before, but she had tried to cut the part about Ginny and Blaise out.

Ginny shook her head and crumbled the letter. "It serves him right."

"You don't care?" Hermione asked with surprise.

The youngest Weasley shook her head. "No. Blaise was the one who wanted to keep it a secret. I never told anyone, because he didn't want me to."

"You don't care if everyone knows?"

"I want everyone to know. How would you feel if you were in love with someone, but you had to hide it all the time? You had to pretend to hate him, and watch him do a really good job of pretending to hate you. You had to listen to girls talk about him, watch them touch him and flirt with him. I can't take it anymore."

"You love him?"

Ginny nodded solemnly.

"I'm so sorry." Hermione wasn't sure why those words chose to fall from her lips.

Ginny smiled sadly. "Me, too."

Hermione put an arm around her friend's shoulders. "It will be okay."

"Heh it looks like the Mudblood and the blood traitor are a lesbian couple," Goyle said from behind them.

"Why don't you kiss for us," Crabbe said. "Show us what you do when you think no one's looking."

"Oh piss off you stupid gits," Ginny hissed.

"Please do not start a fight," Hermione whispered to the hot headed girl.

Crabbe and Goyle glared at them.

"We should teach you two a lesson," Crabbe threatened.

"_We should teach you two a lesson_," Ginny mocked in an unflattering voice. "Merlin you oafs are really one dimensional."

"Ginny stop," Hermione whispered in a hiss. "Using big words makes them angry."

Crabbe shoved Ginny into a wall, making the girl's head bang against the stone. "Still want to mock me?"

Ginny pointed her wand at the large Slytherin boy. "Try that again and I swear to Merlin I'll hex your balls off."

Hermione stepped towards her friend. "Ginny the rules-"

Ginny gapped at her. "This git shoved me, screw the rules."

Crabbe grabbed Ginny while she was distracted and held his arms around her in a vice grip that pinned her arms to her sides. "For a big mouthed blood traitor, you're kinda pretty."

Goyle stepped forward with a worried expression. "Crabbe, c'mon that's enough."

"No I'm having fun." Crabbe squeezed his arms around Ginny, crushing her against his chest.

Ginny opened her mouth but all that came out was a disturbing wheeze.

"Let her go," Hermione hissed.

Ginny's face began to turn an alarming bluish color.

Hermione's eyes grew round in alarm. "I swear to Merlin I'll-"

"Crabbe," Draco called from down the corridor.

The four teens looked up to see Draco standing a few yards away with a halting hand on Blaise's shoulder.

"Come with me," Draco ordered. "You too, Goyle."

No one moved.

The blond gripped something in the pocket of his robes. "_Now_."

Crabbe slowly released Ginny with a sneer. Hermione had to grab the red-head to keep her from jumping on him. Goyle and Crabbe trudged over to the other Slytherin boys. Draco glanced at Hermione once before leading his cronies out of the corridor.

* * *

When Hermione reached the Room of Requirement that night, Draco was already standing in the doorway with the door held open for her. She gave him a curt nod as she entered. Hermione stood in the middle of the room.

"Yes?" she asked.

Draco dragged a hand through his hair. "I wanted to say thank you in person."

Stunned, Hermione stared at him.

"So uh thanks." Draco shuffled through the room and picked up a piece of parchment.

For a heart stopping second she thought it was the map.

"I uh drew this for you." He handed her a drawing of her done in green ink. "I did it the Muggle way so it doesn't move or anything, but there's a charm you can put on it if you wanted it to. I thought you'd appreciate it more since it took more effort than to just, you know, buy something."

Hermione was speechless. It was quite good. He must have spent hours on it. The picture was absolutely beautiful. She had to admit he did her more justice than real life ever did.

"I don't know what to say," she murmured.

"I'm pretty sure it's you're welcome."

She glared at him, but there was no heat behind it. "I just love how humble you are."

He simply shrugged. An awkward silence settled over them. Hermione toed at the hole forming in the rug.

Draco cleared his throat. "About what happed before-"

"It doesn't matter-"

"Dammit Hermione, can you let me say what I have to say!" Draco paused for a moment before continuing. "The reason I stopped wasn't because I thought you weren't good enough for me. It was because I thought…that I…that I uh…" He stuttered hoping that Hermione would take pity on him and cut him off, but she mercilessly waited from him to finish. "…that I wasn't good for you."

Hermione stared at him stoically.

"I mean you're the Gryffindor princess for Merlin's sake! I'm-I'm the exact opposite who you should be with. I'm the last person on earth you should be with. We weren't meant to mix. I'm water and you're oil. Two things nature never intended to be together. Why can't you see that? Why can't you see that I'm bad for you?"

Hermione was still staring silently.

"I thought you were supposed to be the smart one. You're just too smart to want anything to do with me. If you were smart you wouldn't have even opened that stupid letter. You wouldn't have came. You would've been my enemy. You would settle for Ron, get married, have red-haired bushy headed children who went on to be perfect little Gryffindors. If you were smart you would've let me fail with the cabinet-"

Somewhere in the middle of his rant, Hermione had moved towards him. She pushed him so hard that his head jerked back and he tripped over a pile of books.

"Don't tell me what I should do," Hermione snapped. "I'm tired of doing what everyone wants me to do."

"But-"

"Shut up. I don't care. I don't care if you were Voldemort himself! If I want to be with a pompous bigoted git then I will!"

"Do you mean that?" he asked quietly.

"Of course I do. I said it."

"No. Think about what you said. Do you really mean everything you said?"

Hermione looked confused but responded confidently. "Every word."

Draco nodded solemnly and stood. His cool fingers yanked her into his chest. She gasped.

"I'm dangerous," he murmured a whisper away from her lips.

"I don't care."

His fingers fisted in her hair to push her mouth to his. He kissed her deeply she felt like he had transfigured her blood into fire. She was hot all over. So hot she thought her skin would singe his fingertips as they trailed up her torso. She moaned as his fingers found her breast. It felt like a bolt of electricity went through her. Her hands gripped at his shirt. His other hand slipped to crawl under her skirt.

Hermione clamped her legs together. "Draco please I'm not…"

"Okay," Draco murmured while he brought his hand safely to her waist.

She sighed into the crook of his neck. "Thank you."

He pulled back to smirk at her devilishly. "No need to thank me…_yet_…"

AN: Hey guys I just wanted to say thank you for the reviews and the feedback. I'll have the next chapter up as soon as possible.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Draco's army is growing," Harry murmured over his bacon.

Ginny and Hermione turned their eyes from their breakfast over to the Slytherin table. The only people left on Nott's side of the table were Pansy, Millicent Bulstrude, a bunch of nameless Slytherin girls, and a few of the 4th and 5th years. Draco sat amongst his followers with a smug air of ease. Hermione had to hand it to him. He was good at takeovers. It was a bloodless coup. When she caught his eye, she lifted her glass discretely towards him. Draco rewarded her with a small devious smile and a raise of his glass.

He turned towards Daphne Greengrass to laugh indulgently at something witty she said. Hermione's eyes narrowed slightly. When Draco glanced back at Hermione, he raised an eyebrow at her expression. She turned away from his prying eyes.

"So have you talked to him, yet?" Hermione whispered in her pathetic attempt to speak in code.

"Yes," Ginny whispered back. "He said that Nott had been trying to turn the house against Malfoy so that Nott could off him."

"That's it? There wasn't a concrete plan? I thought Nott was smarter than that."

"Oh there was a plan, but it was kinda confusing so I just told you what I remembered."

"Oh…"

"Well anyway a little owl told him that Nott was holding off on his plan now that Malfoy has backers."

Hermione raised an eyebrow at that. "A little owl?"

Ginny pursed her lips. "Apparently there are some girls on Nott's side that have a thing for Blaise and were more than willing to be his little spies."

"Spies?" Hermione shook her head. "The people in Slytherin are way too paranoid."

"Wouldn't you be living with people who would do anything to get ahead?"

Hermione shuttered slightly at the thought.

* * *

Draco looked surprised, but not disappointed when Hermione showed up at the Room of Requirement that night. He eyed the bag on her shoulder full of parchment and books. He raised an eyebrow.

"Came to study?" he asked.

"No." Hermione set her bag down on the table and began pulling out rolls of parchment.

"Care to explain? Because it looks like that's what you're about to do."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I finished it all already."

She was really losing him. "Finished what?"

"Your work."

"_My work_?"

She nodded impatiently even though a blush was spreading across her cheeks. "Yes your work."

"What work?"

"Your work."

"We've already established that, Granger," he said exasperatedly. "Could you please stop being so cryptic?"

"Well…I uh noticed you were getting behind in some of your classes so I…uh finished the work you needed to make up."

Draco stared at her. "How…?"

"I talked to all your teachers about what you needed to do and if they'd let you make it up. Some of them wanted to do extra work since you were turning it in so late so I did an extra two feet per essay for good measure."

Draco walked over to paw through the pile of rolled up parchment in amazement. "How did you have time to do all this?"

She waved a dismissive hand. "Oh I was already ahead in all my classes so I just worked on it all this last week."

"Why?"

Hermione blushed and stared down at the table instead of him. "Well I realize that you're really busy trying to fix the cabinet and plotting psychological warfare and I thought that the stress of could be quite distracting."

Draco hid his shock over her nonchalance over the entire matter. "How did you find out?"

"It was kinda obvious that you and Nott are splitting the Slytherin House." Hermione stretched like a cat. "How far have you gotten with the cabinet?"

With a sickening jolt, he said, "I'm still as far as I was before break."

Hermione, who didn't understand the gravity of the situation, said, "Oh what have you been doing in here then? Making up battle plans?"

He nodded vaguely with his mind elsewhere.

"Can I help?"

"What?"

"I want to make up battle plans, too."

Draco almost choked before he realized what she was referring to. "You want to help me with Nott?"

Hermione nodded enthusiastically.

He shrugged. "Why not?"

"Okay so I've been observing and this is the information that I've collected: 1. Astoria Greengrass has a really big crush on you and is getting really jealous of how close her sister is with you so I'd watch out for that, 2. Pansy doesn't like Nott which means he has something on her to make her stay on his side, 3. Nott is really nervous about something, because he's been really jumpy lately like he expects someone to get him at any moment, 4. Zabini doesn't like you but his dislike for Nott is exponentially greater than his dislike for you so as long as he hates Nott you've got nothing to worry about, 5. While Crabbe and Goyle have been your henchmen for years, they are starting to lose faith in you so I'd watch my back especially with Crabbe, 6. The only reason why most of the girls are on Nott's side is because Millicent is and they're afraid of her so get Millicent on your side and you get the girls but I'd leave some for spies, 7. Your Quidditch teammates only like you because you buy them things which is really dangerous because all Nott has to do is buy them something better and they'll betray you."

Draco was extremely impressed. "And just how did you gather all information?"

"Oh Slytherin drama is fun to watch."

"Hermione?"

She looked up at him quizzically. "Yes?"

He leaned down and kissed her slowly. She felt the familiar warmth bloom inside her. Draco ran careful hands down her back to cup her bottom gently. Hermione ran an experimental hand down the muscles of his chest and stomach. He pressed into her, letting her feel him against her. She gasped and pressed back. He moaned and gripped her hips to bring her closer. She trembled. Draco pulled away before he did something that would make her uncomfortable.

"What was that for?" she gasped once she regained her breath.

"For being wicked."

Hermione's eyebrows rose. "That was punishment?"

"No, that was a reward," Draco whispered before pulling her hips back to his.

* * *

"Your moping is disgusting," Draco muttered.

Blaise glared at Draco. "Piss off."

He smirked as he leaned back in his chair. "Stop being so obvious, Zabini. You're going to burn a hole in the back of that girl's head one of these days."

The two Slytherins looked across the library at Ginny and Harry who were laughing quietly. Harry gave her a warm smile over their homework. She blushed and turned her eyes down to the book in front of her.

Draco made a disgusted noise in the back of his throat. "You're _almost_ as obvious as Potter."

Blaise's jaw clenched.

Draco sighed dramatically. "But unlike you, Potter can actually have a relationship with her so in reality that would make you the more pathetic one."

Blaise smiled at Draco nastily. "Ah but at least she's not a Mudblood. Being a blood traitor is something that can easily be changed by crossing lines, but dirty blood?" He let out a low whistle. "There's nothing that can rid someone of filthy blood."

Draco looked at him sharply. "That is true, but if I ever hear you refer to Hermione as a Mudblood again then I will personally see to it that you are castrated in your sleep."

A black eyebrow rose. "Touchy. Be careful, Malfoy, your vulnerability is showing."

"Come off it, Zabini. You're one to talk."

Blaise plucked lint off his blazer. "You know, sometimes I wonder if what you have on me is more incriminating than what I have on you."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Don't push me, Zabini. We both know I am well aware of what really happened to your mother's third and fifth husbands."

Blaise coolly ignored the statement.

Draco impatiently checked his pocket watch. "Where is that sniveling prat?"

The brown skinned boy leafed through a newspaper with disinterest. "How should I know? Probably off wanking."

The pale boy wrinkled his nose in distaste. "For someone with your pedigree, you are extremely crass."

He grinned. "I save it all for you."

Draco sniffed. "I'll make sure to thank you properly later."

Harry and Ginny got up from their table. Blaise's dark eyes snapped up from the article he was reading to follow Ginny as she moved across the library. The Slytherin sneered at Harry as he passed. As soon as Harry's back was to them, Blaise winked at Ginny. She sent him a dirty look, but a blush darkened her cheeks. She walked faster to match Harry's brisk pace. Ginny glanced back at him before following Harry out the room.

"Give it a rest already, Zabini. Either you want the girl or you don't."

"You're one to talk," Blaise muttered sarcastically.

"I am one to talk, because while you were too busy being lonely because you ruined any chance of Ginny wanting you, I spent my nights with something other than my hand."

Blaise sent him a heated glare across the table. He opened his mouth but was hushed by Draco when Theodore Nott entered the library. Nott stiffly sat down at their table. His dark eyes shifted between Draco and Blaise suspiciously.

"Hello Nott how are your murder plans going?" Draco chuckled lightly. "Oh well I suppose they aren't going very well since I'm still alive."

Nott's eyes grew wide.

"And don't try to play the innocent card," Blaise said. "We know everything that is said in the Slytherin House."

Draco smirked. "Yes, we even know that you're the one that started the marriage talks with Pansy's family. Although I must admit killing a competitor over the hand of a lady is kind of old fashioned, it just might win Pansy over. I just wanted to tell you that if you want Pansy then have her. If you wanted my seconds, all you had to do was ask nicely." Draco's smirk grew.

Nott glared at them. "This meeting is solely for your benefit, Malfoy. I assure you."

"And why would you try to help me?"

"Obviously this is my best interest as well."

"Fine, you have my interest." Draco straightened in his chair. "What is it?"

"Convince the Dark Lord to give me the task he gave you."

Draco and Blaise looked at each other before laughing loudly. Madame Pince shushed them sternly. The two Slytherins choked back their snickers.

"Do you have any idea what task the Dark Lord gave me?"

Nott shook his head. "No, but if you value your life you'll give it to me."

Draco stood. "You are a fool. This discussion is over."

Blaise stood and followed him out the library.

"No you are the fool," Nott muttered darkly to himself.

* * *

"Valentine's Day is tomorrow night," Ginny said over their homework.

Hermione nodded absently.

"What are you going to do?"

"What do you mean?"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "What are you going to do for Malfoy for Valentine's Day?"

"I'm not going to do anything."

"Blaise told me that Malfoy's planning something for you," Ginny said casually.

"What?"

"Malfoy's gonna do something special for you."

"But I thought that we…I thought we weren't…" Hermione stammered in surprise.

"Maybe Malfoy thinks you are."

"What I am going to do?" Hermione groaned.

"Well I can give you an overdue makeover. I'm sure he'll love it."

Hermione must have been desperate to agree. The next night, she trudged down the dark corridor feeling self conscious. She wanted to slap herself for submitting to that torture. She tugged at the skirt of the dress and pulled up at the straps but couldn't manage to cover up her skin. Hermione released a heavy sigh before rounding the corner.

Draco was standing slightly outside the Room of Requirement with the door ajar behind him. He must have deemed it appropriate to dress up as well because in he was impeccably dressed in a pair of custom made black slacks, a black collared button up with a silver silk tie, and a pair of expensive looking silver dragonhide boots. His grey eyes lazily traveled up her bare legs, the clingy green dress, her neck, lips, and straighten hair. His eyes stopped at her tamed hair with mild shock before they moved over to her eyes.

Hermione padded carefully over towards him. "Hi," she said awkwardly.

"Hello."

They stood a foot apart just starting at each other. It was somehow intense and awkward at the same time.

"Are you gonna let me in?" Hermione asked softly.

Draco swung the door open behind him. Frozen with shock, Hermione stood in the doorway. It wasn't the same room that they had spent countless hours in. It was now an exquisite formal dining room. There were hundreds of tiny candles floating around the ceiling, a small table with delicious food piled on it, a plush rug, and a fireplace.

Draco gently urged her into the room with a hand placed on the small of her back. "Well?"

"It's-it's amazing," Hermione said with awe. "How did you do it?"

"I had help from Dobby," he admitted, "and before you throw a fit you should know that I paid him. I told him he could have any article of clothing of mine he wanted."

Hermione's eyebrows rose. "What did he pick?"

Draco frowned. "One sock from two pairs of my most expensive silk socks."

She laughed. "That sounds like him."

He shook his head and pulled out a chair for her. He watched her as she sat. Zabini had told him that Hermione was planning something for Valentine's day, but part of him didn't believe it. He didn't think she had thought that much of their rel—of them to celebrate a holiday like that, but here she was looking more amazing than she did at Yule ball. It was for him. The thought made him feel warm.

They nibbled at the food while they made polite and uninteresting conversation. Their minds were both elsewhere. When Hermione looked up at Draco he was staring at her like he had been staring for a while.

"Yes?" Hermione asked.

"A while ago, you said you knew my weakness," he said softly with his eyes still pinning hers. "What is it, Hermione?"

She blushed at the sound of her name outside of their nightly activities. "It's just that you are so busy trying to prove something. You let it get to your head. You should know how grea—that you don't anyone's approval but your own. Having someone else's approval isn't gonna make it easier to face yourself in the mirror."

Draco's stare grew distant.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Why did you do this for me?"

Hermione frowned in confusion. "Do what?"

"This." He waved a hand towards her. "Dress up for me on Valentine's day."

Her frown deepened. "Ginny made me."

She caught the disappointment flicker in his eyes before his guard went back up. "Oh."

"You think me dressing up is your present? Wow, you're way more shallow than I thought."

Draco looked at her empty hands. "Then what's my present?"

Hermione rose nervously from her seat and walked over to Draco. She stood in front of him shifting from foot to foot. He pulled her down into his lap. She blushed with her eyes trained on the floor. He lifted her chin with a finger. Draco tried to search her eyes but they were closed. She leaned forward and kissed him. He was surprised but not about to complain. When Hermione pulled back, her eyes were still looking everywhere but at him.

"What is it?" Draco asked.

Hermione held out her hand. On her palm rested a slip of paper.

He took it and waited for an explanation.

"It's a spell," she said softly. "I did some research and found a spell that you could substitute for the incantation."

Draco stared at her in disbelief.

Hermione looked up at him nervously. "All you have to do is say the spell and it should it work. The cabinet will be fixed."

A stricken look stretched across his face.

"You're mad," she said as if she thought that would happen.

He crushed his lips to hers. She was surprised by his aggressiveness. Draco bore her down onto the rug. She dug her fingers into his shoulder blades. Hermione gasped when his lips trailed to her neck. He ground his hips against hers. She let out a high pitched moan. Her legs wrapped instinctively around his hips. Draco lifted her up slightly to pull her dress down past her breasts. She blushed as she watched him watch her breasts jump every time he ground into her. Then her eyes rolled back when he grabbed them. Her hips jerked into his.

Draco's hand eased up her thigh. She tensed. He kissed her hair and whispered soothing words to her until she relaxed. His fingers walked delicately up her skin and cupped her. Their skin burned with the contact. Hermione moaned as she pushed against his hand. He rubbed his palm against her. Her hips jerked up. Her fingers dug further into his shoulder blades. Her eyes screwed shut.

"Let me see you," he whispered.

She looked up at him with hazy eyes. "You're already looking at me."

"No, let me see you." He rubbed his palm against her roughly.

Hermione cried out and started moving against his open hand.

Draco pulled his hand away. "Let me see."

She was still confused about what he meant. Her eyes grew wide when his fingers left her to curl around the waist band of her panties.

"Let me see you."

Hermione shook her head. "No."

"Please Hermione." He looked down at her pleadingly.

She felt her reserve melt at the look in his eye. It was true that he never asked for much, and when she gave him an inch, he never took a mile. With her eyes pinned on his, Hermione lifted her hips off the floor so Draco could pull her cotton underwear down her legs. His cool fingers caressed their way up to her knees to pull them apart. Hermione spread her legs; she bared herself to his gaze with a blush creeping up her chest.

"You're beautiful," he breathed.

Hermione dragged her eyes up to his to watch him look at her. The look of awed desire on his face made her skin heat over. His fingers hovered over her so closely that she could feel his body heat. Her hips curled off the rug and towards his fingertips. Draco pulled his eyes up to hers. She stared into his eyes and pushed towards his fingers once more. She watched his grey eyes darken with the realization. He stared down at her as he ran his hand over her slick folds. Hermione moaned and pushed against him.

She squirmed against him. "Draco, please…"

"What?" Draco asked desperately. "What do you want from me?"

"You. I just want you, Draco."

Draco curled a finger towards her entrance and watched her look at him expectantly.

"You trust me," he said with sudden realization.

Hermione nodded. Draco closed his eyes and slid a finger inside her. She gripped at his shoulder blades. Her heels dug into the rug. Her lips clenched against the moan trying roll off her tongue. She turned her hazy brown eyes up to his. He closed his eyes to the look in hers. He curled his finger inside her. Hermione closed her eyes as she stopped thinking and just felt.

* * *

Later that night, Draco stood in front of the Vanishing Cabinet with the piece of parchment pressed into his sweaty palm. He opened the paper and stared at Hermione's scratchy handwriting.

All you have to do is say the spell and it should it work.

All you have to do is say it.

Say it.

Draco willed himself to speak, but his mouth went dry. Raspy breath rattled past his lips. He closed his mouth, swallowed a few times, and tried again. The air would not leave his lungs. Draco wiped his slick palms on his slacks. It should have been easy. He should feel amazing, victorious, smug, powerful. He should feel something other than the heaviness in his stomach. He started pacing.

All you have to do is say it.

This was all Hermione's fault. She had the nerve to trust him when she knew his family supported the dark lord. She knew that was the path his family expected him to take. She had the nerve to be a muggle born. Had the nerve to be the only one who understood him. The only one to trust him. The one who stayed with him in this damned room night after restless night.

Draco sat down at the table and pulled out his flask. After a few gulps of firewhiskey, he glared at the cabinet. All this effort for his father. For his family name. Everyone thought that being bad was easy and that doing the right thing was so difficult. But what if doing the right thing was doing what everyone else considered to be the bad thing? Who gets to decide what's good and what's bad? What's the right thing and the wrong thing? Draco muttered a curse and took another swig. Six months ago, he knew what the right thing was. He thought he had his whole life in perspective, but now…he was so fucking confused. He rubbed at his temples with cool fingers.

What makes a traitor, he wondered. Draco remembered learning about Benedict Arnold in Muggle Studies years ago. What makes a traitor depends on who wins the war. If the colonies would have lost the Revolutionary War, Arnold would have been the hero that brought the British a victory.

When the war is over, and the dust clears, what will he be?

The hero or the traitor?

Draco rolled the parchment in his hand. He was starting to get a headache. He wondered what Harry "Save the Day" Potter was doing right at that moment. Draco sneered. The prat was probably sleeping soundly without a care in his self-righteous little world. If Draco were honest, he'd admit he was jealous of Harry. Harry carried himself like he was so sure he was doing the right thing. Draco wished he knew his secret. How can you tell if you're doing what you're supposed to be doing? You can't possibly know. You close your eyes and pick a path and you convince yourself its right because otherwise you wouldn't be able to sleep at night.

He looked down at the parchment. He didn't have to make this decision that night. Contrary to what everyone keeps telling him, Draco knew he still had some time. As long as Draco eventually completed his task before the end of the school year he'll be fine. Draco folded the parchment and tucked it the hiding place where he kept the map.

What will he be?

* * *

AN: Wow I got this one out faster than expected (don't get excited I probably won't update this quick next time). Again, thanks for the feedback. I added breaks between the scenes because it's kinda hard to read without them. I'm sorry about that but I didn't realize the lines I orignally had weren't showing up until now.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Hermione stretched her sore back as she trudged down the corridor. When she rounded the corner, there was Pansy leaning against the stone wall as if she were waiting for someone. Hermione kept her eyes fixed ahead while she tried to breeze past the Slytherin girl.

"Interesting marks on your neck, Granger," Pansy said softly. "Next time, tell Draco not to pull so hard."

Hermione stopped in her tracks. She turned slowly on her heel as she fixed a cool expression onto her face.

"Pardon?"

"You have bruises on your neck." Pansy pointed towards her throat. "I used to get the same ones when Draco pulled too hard on my tie. You have to remind him to be more gentle. He tends to lose control when he's fucking."

Hermione's stomach felt heavy with dread. "While it's nice that you're trying to give me advice, I have to say the topic you chose to be amicable over I find quite disturbing. Furthermore, these marks are from a curling iron—Muggle invention—something I'm sure you know nothing about. "

Pansy's eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "I know a lot of things, Granger. Remember that."

Hermione pursed her lips. "I'm sure you _think_ you know a lot of things, Parkinson."

Hermione spun back on her heel and stalked off as fast as she could.

* * *

Draco drew lazy circles along Hermione's arm, watching the goosebumps rise from her skin. She shivered as his fingertips grazed the sweat slicked skin of her throat.

"Don't worry about Pansy," he murmured. "She's just trying to scare you."

She pulled away from his hands and turned on her side to face him.

"What if she knows?" Hermione asked. "What if she tells everyone?"

"That's the thing about blackmail. The information is useless once you tell it. Pansy knows better."

"So…I'm incriminating to you?"

Draco frowned. "Of course. You know that."

Hermione frowned back. She turned slowly, so she wouldn't fall off the couch, to put her back to him. His cold fingers curled around her shoulder.

"You know that, right?"

"Yes." She squeezed the answer through her clenched teeth.

"You're lying."

She was lying but it didn't stop her from getting annoyed. "Look I said I know. I know you don't want to be associated with me."

He breathed out a heavy sigh. "Don't put it like that. You know that if anyone would find out about you and me then it would be…" Draco tried to search for a better word but couldn't find one. "…then it would be a liability."

Hermione laughed once without humor. A part of her knew he was right but a larger part was stuck on Ginny's situation with Blaise. Hermione didn't want to end up like her. She slid off the couch.

"Maybe we should avoid each other for a while," she said as she pulled on her cloak. "For your sake. Wouldn't want to be a liability."

He stared up at her as she moved around the room to gather her things. "You're being ridiculous."

Maybe she was, but she was too upset to admit it. Hermione paused the door. She opened her mouth but no words came out. She stood there a moment before turning and leaving.

* * *

Hermione laughed at something Ron said. Ron looked surprised, but sent her a warm smile. A smile she hadn't seen in long time. The familiarity was a welcomed comfort. Ginny sent her a look over their breakfast, but Hermione pointedly ignored the red head. It felt good to feel like her life was going back to normal. To a time that she call Pre-Draco Malfoy.

Hermione could feel Draco's eyes on her. The heat of his gaze made the hair on the back of her neck rise. She told herself it was not from want even though it had been almost three weeks since he had touched her. Almost three weeks since she had peaceful sleep. Two weeks since developed a nervous habit of scratching behind her ear. One week since she remembered to eat regularly. And one second since the last time he crossed her mind.

Hermione pushed another laugh through her lips as she fixed her eyes on Ron's face. She stopped listening to him five jokes ago. It took all her focus to keep her eyes from straying to the one person who was on her mind. To the person who was boring holes into her skull with his piercing glare.

"Where's Lavender?" Ginny asked with a glare.

Ron shrugged. "I dunno."

"Shouldn't you know where your _girlfriend _is?"

"I'm not her keeper," he muttered.

Ginny snorted. "You used to be her Siamese twin."

Ron glared at his sister before ending the conversation by shoving a forkful of egg into his mouth.

She gave up on talking to her brother and turned to Hermione. "Where's Harry?"

Hermione shrugged. "Probably sleeping in. You know how he's been lately."

Ginny pursed her lips pensively but said nothing else.

Hermione's eyes wandered around the Great Hall. They subconsciously steered her gaze to the blond sitting at the Slytherin table. Draco's eyes looked away as he smirked at something Daphne said. Hermione's gaze turned into a glare. An emotion she could not name panged deep within her stomach. She watched as Daphne whispered something in Draco's ear and placed her hand on top of his.

Hermione stood suddenly. Everyone looked at her in confusion.

"I forgot…something in—in the common room. See you in class." Hermione rushed out of the Great Hall.

She made it past the large doors before the tears begun to sting her eyes. Someone put a hand on her shoulder. Hermione jumped, but it was only Ginny. The Weasley girl ushered her into the nearest empty class.

"Shhh…" Ginny soothed. "What's wrong?"

"I feel so stupid," Hermione hissed. "Why did I even try with him? I knew he wouldn't change. I knew he'd be ashamed of me. Sometimes…sometimes I wonder how different it would be between us if my blood was different. But blood is something you can't change…something I shouldn't have to change because it is a part of me. It's who I am and if Draco can't accept it…then it's not going to work."

Ginny patted her knowingly on the back.

"I know he has his reasons," Hermione said, "but I can see this will lead nowhere. I can't keep doing this. I can't let myself get more and more involved with someone I can't have a life with…with someone who doesn't want to be seen with me."

"I understand," Ginny said, "but you can't lead my brother on like that."

"What are you talking about?"

Ginny sighed. "You know what I mean. You have him thinking there's a chance you two will be together."

"Of course there's a chance. I love Ron."

"No you don't. Not like you used to. Not like you think you do."

"That's absurd. Love doesn't change like that."

Ginny shook her head. "Why can't you see it?"

"See _what_?"

"You don't love Ron because you're in love with Malfoy."

Hermione stared at Ginny for three seconds before saying, "Its official. You've gone mental."

"Admit it Hermione," Ginny huffed in exasperation. "Can't you admit that you might be a little bit in love with the guy?"

"No. I refuse to be sucked into—into this—this _delusion _of yours."

"Why do you think it's a delusion?"

"Because it's so improbable it borders on ridiculous. I haven't even liked him long enough to be in love with him."

"The signs are there. You're barely sleeping. Barely eating. He's probably all you think about and the thought of him being with another girl probably makes you sick."

It was all true.

"That's not true at all," Hermione protested.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Deny it all you want. It's still true."

Hermione scratched behind her ear. Her mouth opened and closed. She pursed her lips and scratched again.

"See, you have to know I'm right," Ginny said smugly.

Scratch, scratch.

"I don't have to know anything."

Ginny huffed. "Fine. Just know that I'm not going to stand around and watch you ruin you and Ron's lives by trying to force something that's not there."

"I'm not forcing it," Hermione muttered. "It's there. I know it's there."

* * *

"I know you're there, Greengrass," Draco muttered from the couch.

She huffed playfully and leaned against the armrest. "I wonder why I can never sneak up on you."

"What is it?"

"Can't I just want to talk?" Daphne asked innocently.

Draco cut his eyes at her. "This is Slytherin not Hufflepuff. No one here just wants to talk."

She laughed lightly. "Okay, I don't just want to talk."

He eyed her warily as she leaned towards him.

"I want you," she murmured before leaning in for a kiss.

Draco pushed her away.

Embarrassed, Daphne straightened. "What's wrong? I thought Draco the womanizer never turned a girl down. Not even when he was attached to someone…"

He frowned at her. "Obviously I turn girls down. I have standards."

Daphne glared at him. "No, this is different. I know there's no reason for you to turn me down. I'm pureblood, pretty, intelligent. I'd make an acceptable wife for any Slytherin. An acceptable wife for you."

Draco threw her a sharp look.

She smiled. "Yes I know about you and Pansy's marriage talks falling through. Everyone knows I am the only logical replacement. I come from a good family that's in good standing and has influence. There is something to gain on both our ends."

"I'm sure you have more to gain than I do."

She cut her eyes at him. "Don't be so arrogant. I know more than you think. I know your family is on shaky ground. A partnership with me can stabilize your situation."

Draco smirked at her. "You must think I'm stupid. We both know this isn't about me. It's about revenge. You've been living in Pansy's shadow ever since first year." He laughed. "You're Pansy's sidekick. You're to Pansy what Ron Weasley is to Harry Potter!"

Daphne's eyes became narrow slits. "You're one to talk. You must think _I'm _stupid. I know you've been sniffing after that Gryffindor bitch. After that Mudblood."

Draco kept the shocked look off of his face. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Come now Malfoy, all the signs are there. You're never in your bed at night and, from all the rumors, I take it that neither is Granger. I'm not dumb. I can put two and two together."

Draco stood. His body towered over hers. "I will not be threatened."

"I'm not threatening you," Daphne murmured as she moved to straighten his tie. "I'm informing you."

Draco caught her wrist. "Don't play with me. I am not to be played with."

Daphne pulled her wrist from his grip. "We'll see. I made my move. I have you in check. What will your next move be?"

She stood on her tiptoes and placed a kiss on his cheek. Then she walked up the spiral stairs to the girls dormitories. Daphne bumped into Astoria.

"What are you doing here?" Daphne asked her younger sister.

"What are you doing?" Astoria whispered with a hurt twinge in her voice. "How could you?"

"I'm doing what's best for us. You need to put your emotions to the side. They will get you nowhere."

Astoria shook her head. "No, you're doing what's best for you, sister."

Astoria slunk away up the stairs without a backwards glance.

* * *

"Shhhhh…" Draco whispered in Hermione's ear with a hand clamped over their mouth.

She stopped struggling against him. Hermione blinked a few times to adjust her eyes to the darkness of the broom closet. She waited in silence as her heart beat slowed. Her eyes closed. Her inhales took in his scent. A scent that was so familiar it caused her skin to heat and her heart to ache.

"Do you trust me?" he whispered.

Hermione nodded.

"Then do everything I say," Draco said. Draco removed his hand from her lips. Her face felt cold from the loss of warmth. "Wait here, and stay quiet."

She nodded again.

Draco slipped out the closet.

She waited.

There was a sound of soft footsteps echoing down the hall. "Hello Draco."

"What do you want, Pansy?" he asked dryly.

"I'm sure you know why I asked you here."

"No I don't actually."

Pansy laughed. "Fine. Play dumb. We both know that I know about you that Mudblood."

"Which Mudblood? You'll have to be more specific."

"Granger," she hissed. "The know-it-all bitch of Gryffindor."

"What about her?"

"I know you're fucking her."

"Even if I was, what does it matter to you?"

"You know what will happen if the dark lord finds out. Your father will stay in Azkaban. You will probably be tortured. Your little Mudblood whore will be passed around like the slut she is. And your mother…well I'd hate to know what would happen to her…"

Draco yawned. "Get to the point, Pansy. What are you trying to get out of me?"

"Step down, let Nott have your place."

Draco laughed. "Like I would ever step down. I was born to have this position. No one can take that from me-"

"Don't be so arrogant. You're already on dangerous ground as it is with the Dark Lord. He doesn't like waiting-"

"I don't need to be told," Draco snapped. "I know."

"Draco…" Pansy's voice softened. "Draco…I am doing this for you-"

"Don't feed me that bullshit."

"It's true!"

"You only care about yourself. You made that clear when you told me you wanted nothing to do with me-"

"Not all us Slytherins are that heartless. I did what I had to do for the both of us. Isn't that what we're all doing? What we have to do? Our lives aren't our own, Draco."

"Stop making excuses. Playing the soft card won't work on me."

"I hate you," Pansy's voice wavered. "How can you be so cold after everythin-"

"Are you done? I have more important matters to attend to."

"_Fine_," she hissed. "Go ahead and carry on with your Mudblood whore. Just know that your little play thing won't be around for long so enjoy it while you can."

Hard footsteps echoed angrily down the hall. A few seconds past before the closet door opened and shut with a soft click. His cool fingers sought her shoulders out in the darkness.

"Now do you see?" Draco whispered. "Now do you see why people can't know about you and me?"

"I had no idea…I never knew…."

"I know," he breathed, "It's…complicated…"

Silence.

"If you can't handle this, it's fine," Draco said.

Silence.

Draco withdrew his hands from her. His clothes shifted uncomfortably.

"Well then…" he murmured awkwardly before moving towards the door.

Hermione's warm arms wrapped around his hard torso. "We're both idiots."

"What?" he asked in surprise.

"It doesn't matter. None of it matters."

Draco stiffened in disbelief. "Pansy threatened your life."

He felt her shoulders rise and fall in a shrug. "My life has been threatened by far scarier people."

"But-"

"I already told you that I don't care."

Silence.

Draco's arms wrapped around her, crushing her to his frame. He buried his face into her frizzy hair and inhaled the scent of her Muggle shampoo. Hermione's fingers curled into his shirt. His lips crashed onto hers. She felt like was drowning. Hermione broke away to surface for air. Air rushed into her lungs in painful gasps. Draco moved his lips to the spot on her neck that made her moan. Her toes curled inside her sensible shoes.

"Draco…"

His hands moved to cup her bottom.

"Wait…Draco…we need to talk…"

"About what?" he murmured into her collar bone.

"About you and me."

Draco pulled away slightly so that their bodies were touching from the stomach down. She could feel his eyes on her face. For a moment, she quickly tried to hide the emotions on her face before she remembered that it was too dark for him to actually see her.

"What is it?" he asked.

"What is this? What is it that we're doing? What am I to you?" The questions pushed up from her gut and spilled from her mouth like vomit.

The questions hung there between them. Draco inhaled and exhaled nosily. If it were anyone else, Hermione would say it sounded like a panic attack. He breathed in and out as she counted each one. After his ninth breath his said:

"I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"I don't know," he repeated.

"Why don't you know?" Hermione asked in frustration.

"Do you know?"

"I asked you a question."

"And I asked you a question."

"I asked you first," she said with mounting irritation.

"I asked you second."

Hermione sputtered. "What does that have to do with anything? If I asked first then you should answer me first."

"I don't care. I want you to answer me."

"You're being childish," she muttered.

"So are you."

Hermione wished he could see the glare she was giving him. "I just want to know why you'd risk everything for me if I meant nothing to you. I mean, that must say something about you and me."

"Yes I am risking everything for you and you have the audacity to question me. I should be questioning you. You get to live your little cushy life while I am the only one making sacrifices-"

"Oh get off your high horse, Malfoy."

"Malfoy now is it? I could have sworn a few minutes ago you were saying Draco…or moaning it actually-"

She pushed him away. Draco hit the wall and a few broom sticks from the sound of it.

"I don't understand how I could ever be the tiniest bit in love with a bloody git like you," Hermione hissed.

Draco stilled his struggle with the brooms. "Did you just say you were in love with me?"

Hermione sputtered. "I said no such thing. It was a purely hypothetical statement. Merlin, you are so vain."

"Well it's the only explanation as to why you are being so irrational."

"What I'm trying to say is this _thing_—you and me—can't work. It just can't."

Draco's movements quieted even further if it were at all possible. It sounded like he stopped breathing.

"Malfoy?" Hermione called quietly. "Draco?"

She wondered if he had died in that pile of broom sticks.

"Draco?"

"Why are you thinking so far in the future?"

"What?"

"Why are you thinking so far in the future?" Draco repeated. "Are you planning on doing…_this _with me for a while?"

Suddenly uncomfortable, Hermione scratched behind her ear. "Where are you getting that from?"

"What does it matter if we won't work in the long run unless, that is, you want it last?"

It was Hermione's turn to fall silent.

"You _are_ in love with me," he stated as if were a sudden realization.

"I can't be in love with you. People don't just fall in love that quickly. It's completely unrealistic! Something like that doesn't happen in real life. It's completely irrational. No. No I am _not _in love with you."

"What makes you so sure that you aren't?"

"What makes you so sure that I am?"

"Ah ah I asked you first, Granger."

Hermione huffed. "I can't love you because I'm in love with Ron!"

"No you're not. Not anymore."

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" she muttered.

"What?"

"Look I refuse to be in love with someone who I don't have a future with. I refuse to do that do myself."

"So you are falling in love with me."

"Why do you keep saying that?"

"What do you have to be so scared of?" Draco sounded genuinely curious.

"Nothing," Hermione said quickly.

Draco moved towards her. "Then give me a reason."

"A reason for what?"

"Give me a reason not to." He wrapped his arms around her and pressed her body into his.

Her chest felt searing hot next his cold frame.

"Not to what?"

Draco backed away from her, muttering to himself.

"_What?"_ she asked, thoroughly confused.

"Forget it," he mumbled before exiting the closet and leaving Hermione alone in the dark.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Draco paced in the Room of Requirement. What the hell did he almost do? What the hell did he almost say_?_ He chalked it up to temporary insanity. It was the only plausible reason why he almost asked Hermione Granger to give him a reason not to fix the cabinet. Draco grit his teeth, pulled at his hair, and paced faster. What the hell possessed him to even think about confessing to her? He must be losing his mind.

It was all her fault. Draco had been doing just fine without her. He was content with his life. Okay so what if the Dark Lord asked him to kill Dumbledore? Dumbledore was old; he probably lived a full life already. And so what if Pansy probably would've still left him for her arranged fiancé? Draco could have his pick of pure-blood girls. He could have been content. Maybe not happy, but Draco was willing to settle for content.

Just where did she get off falling in love with him? Draco was fully prepared to live his life without ever feeling what it was like to actually have someone care about him as a human being. Then Hermione had to come along and tease him with ideas of what life could be like. What life could be like if he were happy and with someone that actually gave a shit about him. Hermione had some nerve. How dare she come into his life spewing her hopes and morals like flu infected mucus? She _infected _him with her conscience. She was making him soft.

Draco shook his head. He had to get back to his task. He couldn't let Hermione distract him any longer. He glanced over at the cabinet before pulling a cauldron off the shelf and getting to work.

* * *

"Happy birthday!" Hermione slid a cupcake with a single lit candle across the table to Ron.

"Isn't it a little early in the day for that?" Lavender sneered over her breakfast.

"We want little Won-Won to start his birthday off right," Ginny said with a sarcastic smile.

"Thank you, Hermione." Ron smiled at her.

"Make a wish then," Harry said.

Ron looked around at his friends. His eyes lingered on Hermione before he closed them and made his wish. He blew out his candle while everyone at the Gryffindor table cheered. Hermione clapped along with everyone else, but her eyes wandered over to the Slytherin table. She locked eyes with Draco who looked as if he had been looking at her for some time and had been waiting for her to look at him. He raised his goblet of pumpkin juice slightly in a small toast. There was a gleam in his eye that Hermione could not place as he sipped at his juice. If it were anyone else, she would have said the look was akin to jealousy, but Draco wouldn't lower himself to feel something so petty. He held her gaze so long that she grew uncomfortable. Hermione turned away to smile at Ron, but she couldn't shake the image of that dark look in Draco's pale eyes.

* * *

Hermione panted and heaved as she sprinted down the dark corridor. When she rounded the corner, Draco was standing the doorway of the Room of Requirement, waiting for her. Hermione skidded to a halt in front of him while she furiously wiped at the tears and snot streaming down her face. She tried to speak but only sobs came out. Draco ushered her shaking frame into the room. He produced a handkerchief from his pocket and put it to her nose. Hermione looked up at him in confusion with red puffy eyes. Draco pressed the cloth harder to her nose impatiently. She blew her nose. He dabbed at her face with the clean corner.

"What is it?" he asked once she was cleaned up.

"It's Ron. He's been poisoned."

Draco stiffened. "How did that happen?"

"He was in Slughorn's office and he drank some poisoned mead. He would've died if Harry didn't give him that bezoar, but he still isn't doing well. You have to help him."

"What do you expect me to do?"

"I know you're really talented at potions, way better than that prat McLaggen. You must know something."

"Why would I help that peasant?"

Hermione's eyes widened in shock. "You wouldn't want him to die. I know you're Slytherin, but you don't have to keep up pretenses with me. You're not a killer Draco."

A strange look clouded his grey eyes. "What makes you say that?" he asked quietly with his eyes searching deep into hers.

Hermione backed up away from him slightly to get a give him a serious look. "I know you are a good person deep down. I mean, you do have your cruel moments, but you're not evil. You just come from a bad home, and I truly believe that if you were given a chance, you'd be good and you'd be happy."

"What is good?" Draco asked seriously. "What is bad? Do these things really have a concrete definition? People want to kill Voldemort. This is supposed to be something good. But if someone were to kill someone like…like Dumbledore, then it would be bad. Who's to say when something is good or bad?"

Hermione frowned. "Well, Dumbledore helps people and tries to do the right thing. Voldemort wants to start a mass genocide solely based on blind hatred. The world would be a lot better without Voldemort."

Draco opened and closed his mouth, changing his mind.

"Please, Draco. Please help Ron."

He stared at her for seven seconds before saying, "Go and wait in the infirmary. I'll think of something."

Hermione's face lit up. "Thank you!" She threw herself into his arms.

Draco staggered and hit the back of the couch. Hermione grabbed his face and gave him a kiss that seared him all the way down to his toes. When she let go she beamed at him before rushing back to Ron's side. He watched her go, wondering what kind of person he was becoming.

* * *

An hour and a half later, Draco crept into the infirmary. Hermione was slouched in a chair next to the bed Ron was sleeping in. Her head fell forward, but jerked up a few seconds later as she tried to fight off fatigue. He stood in the doorway, holding the antidote in his palm. It had taken him an hour and a half to decide to come, and after arriving, it only took two seconds for him to decide to leave.

"Draco?" Hermione called in a hushed voice.

He took a few begrudging steps forward.

"You came," she whispered. "You came."

He sniffed. "What did you expect?"

"What's that in your hand?" Hermione asked.

Draco decided not to comment on the fact that it seemed like they were always speaking in two different conversations, because he honestly didn't want to know to answer to his question. His hand wrapped around the one that was holding Ron's and slipped the vial into her palm.

"It will help."

She peered at the liquid. "Is this the antidote?"

"Give it to him in two doses four hours apart."

"But how di-"

"Make sure he drinks a lot of fluids so it doesn't dehydrate him."

Hermione nodded slowly.

Draco stood there for a moment before turning on his heel to leave.

"Draco…"

He stopped at the door, but didn't turn around.

"You don't know what this means to me."

Draco turned his head to the side to give her a slight nod before exiting.

* * *

Hermione slipped into the infirmary after dinner to check up on Ron. Harry and Ron were arguing about something. She was about to interrupt when Ron said:

"Don't talk like that about Hermione!"

She froze quietly by the door. Madame Pomfrey was in her office and Harry and Ron were the only other ones in the room. Hermione cast a disillusionment charm on herself. Invisible, she crept over to her friends to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"What's wrong Ron? You used to feel the same way."

"Hermione's not like that. She wouldn't forget about us like that. She's trying to get the map."

Harry shook his head. "I'm not so sure anymore. I see how she looks at him during meals when she thinks no one is looking. I think Hermione is really falling for him."

"No, not Hermione. I know I had my doubts, but if I'm honest it was just because I was insecure and jealous."

The look on Hermione's face must have mirrored Harry's shocked expression.

Ron chuckled lightly. "I know I've been a bit immature, but having a near death experience tends to put your life into perspective."

"Since you're being so honest, tell me why you really don't believe that Hermione is falling for Malfoy? Is it because you truly don't think she'd betray us or is because you don't want to think about it."

"Betray? That's a little harsh. I mean, yeah we don't get along with the git and his father is a Death Eater but that doesn't mean Draco is one." Ron eyed his friend. "I think you're taking this rival thing a little too far, man."

"No I'm not. Why doesn't anyone ever believe me until it's too late?"

Ron sighed. "Look, I agree that you're usually right, but you can't always be right."

Harry looked at his friend sharply. "You didn't answer the question, Ron. Is your feelings for Hermione getting in the way of your judgment of the situation?"

The door to the infirmary swung open. Harry looked up to see it was Lavender.

"How is he doing?" Lavender whispered.

Confused as to why the girl as whispering, Harry turned to Ron to see he was pretending to be asleep. He sighed.

"He's doing better," Harry said.

"Do you think he'll wake up anytime soon?"

Harry stared down at his friend. "I'm sure if you wait long enough he'll wake up," he muttered spitefully.

Lavender pulled up a chair next to the bed. "Oh Won-won…"

"Yeah so I'm gonna go now." Harry stood. "See you later."

Hermione left behind Harry as he snickered to himself. Even she couldn't help smiling even though she was pretty pissed at Harry. She followed carefully behind Harry back to the Gryffindor common room. Ginny looked up from her place on the couch.

"How's my brother?" she asked.

Harry sat down next to her. "Besides the fact that he won't admit he's in love with Hermione?"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Ron always was a little slow."

"I just wish…" Harry trailed off. "I'm not sure when it happened."

"When what happened?"

"When we stopped being just friends. Something is different between us."

"Don't be overdramatic. You three will always be friends."

Harry shook his head. "I'm not trying to say…what I mean is I remember when we first started at Hogwarts and it didn't matter that Hermione was a girl. Then when we got older, everything changed. After fourth year, I thought maybe me and Hermione would be good together and then Cho came along and somehow Ron stepped in. I'm not bitter or anything I just mean it seems that everyone has someone, but I'm too busy trying to save the day all the time to stop and notice a girl."

Ginny nodded. "It's true. You've passed up a lot of girls. First there was me. Then there was Padma, and Cho, and Romilda , and-"

"I get it." Harry ran a hand through his hair. "Sometimes I wonder if I am being too serious. Maybe I should take time to be a normal teenager."

"'Bout time you came to that conclusion." Ginny smiled at him.

Harry smiled back at her.

The look in his eye made Ginny falter.

"Uh I'm gonna go to bed early." Ginny stood.

"Good night."

"G'night." Ginny walked up the stairs to the girl's dormitories.

Hermione decided to call it a day and went upstairs to turn in with a lot of things weighing heavily on her mind.

* * *

When Hermione rounded the corner, she expected Draco to be in the doorway waiting for her, but the door to the Room of Requirement was closed and covered by the tapestry. Hermione pushed aside the tapestry with her free hand and opened the door. Draco didn't look up with she entered. He was sitting in a chair staring at the cabinet.

"Does it work now?" Hermione asked.

Draco shook his head.

Hermione frowned. "The spell didn't work?"

"I don't know," he said softly. "I haven't tried it yet."

"Why?"

"I'm not sure yet," Draco muttered. He looked up at her. "What's that?"

Hermione held up the basket she had been carrying. "It's a thank you present. It's all your favorite sweets and desserts. Don't worry I didn't cook it myself."

Draco took the basket and looked through its contents. "How did you know?"

"Dobby told me."

Silence.

Draco set the basket down on the table.

Hermione shifted from foot to foot. "I've been thinking about the conversation in the closet and this me and you thing…we can take it one step at time. No need for labels or pressure or talk about love or anything. We'll just be…us."

"Us," Draco repeated and nodded slowly. "Us…sounds good."

"And Draco…you don't have to tell me what you meant about giving you a reason not to. I'm here no questions asked."

He gave a long serious, measuring look. Then he pulled her into his lap and kissed her roughly. When they broke apart for air he said: "This is dangerous for the both of us."

"Don't think about that now," Hermione panted. "This isn't about anything of that. This is about you and me. Us."

She pulled him back to her and made him forget all his worries.

* * *

"Good Morning," Hermione grinned at everyone at the breakfast table.

The Gryffindors glared at her through puffy eyes. Her smile faltered slightly. She wondered if this was how Ginny felt every morning.

"You're practically glowing," Harry glowered. "It's disgusting."

She rolled her eyes. "Is there some kind of rule against being happy before 8 am?"

"Yes!" Seamus growled, earning some snickers.

Hermione waved a hand at their antics. Their grumpy mood wouldn't ruin her good mood. Especially after having such a good night…

"What's this?" Ginny murmured.

"What is it?" Hermione whispered.

Ginny jerked her head towards the doors of the Great Hall. Lavender entered the hall with Astoria Greengrass close behind. Hermione didn't see the big deal.

Hermione shrugged. "So what?"

"What do you mean so what?" Ginny asked with a frown. "The fact the a Gryffindor and a Slytherin enter the Great Hall at the same time is strange in itself-"

"Oh com-"

"-_plus _Lavender is never at breakfast this early and Astoria is never at breakfast this late. They must have synchronized their schedules."

"Wow what's gotten in to you?"

"I'm just saying. It's suspicious."

Hermione shook her head. "It doesn't mean anything."

Ginny pursed her lips. "Sure it doesn't."

* * *

"What is that _thing_?" Draco asked with a look that was akin to morbid curiosity.

Hermione laughed lightly as she walked into the Room of Requirement later that night. "It's call a stereo or a boombox. It's a Muggle device that plays music."

Draco stared at it incredulously as she set it down on the table.

"It runs off of batteries." Hermione pursed her lips. "Come over, it's not going to attack you."

He glared at her but moved to her side.

"This button is to play the music, this to stop, this to pause, this is the rewind—you use it to go back, and fastfoward—you use it to go forward."

Draco poked at the play button and jumped when music streamed through the speakers.

"Sorry," Hermione giggled and turned the volume down.

They listened to the music quietly.

"Hm." Draco's crossed arms slipped to his sides. "Who sings this?"

"A Muggle band called Oasis. The song is called Wonderwall."

His eyebrows rose. "This is a Muggle band?"

She nodded with a smile. "Dance with me." She pulled at his arms.

Draco shook his head at her but pulled her into a box step. She grinned at him as she followed his lead gracefully. He looked surprised that she could follow his step. He rotated them around the piles of books. He stared down at her as she laughed. She looked…happy. Happy with him. Draco felt an answering laugh bubble up his chest and fall lightly from his lips.

* * *

A few days later Hermione crept into the infirmary. She frowned when she saw Ginny sitting next to Harry's bed. "What are you doing here after curfew?"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "The same as you."

Harry chuckled as he scratched at the bandage at his head. "Really guys I'm not going to die in bed overnight so these bedside vigils are not necessary."

Hermione walked over to his side. "The bump's going down nicely."

"I can't believe McLaggen hit you with a bludger," Ginny said. "McLaggen is a bloody git."

"Yes he is," Hermione muttered.

"And I third that opinion," Ron agreed from his bed next to Harry.

The four friends laughed. They played card games throughout the night and snuck food from the kitchens. It was nice for all of them to get a chance to relax and just be normal for a change. Hermione looked around at her friends laughing faces and saw the same thought in all their eyes. What if? What if this was the way it always was? With the four of them together like everyone thought they would be? Harry and Ginny. Ron and Hermione. She thought back to what Draco had said:

"If you were smart…you would settle for Ron, get married, have red-haired bushy headed children who went on to be perfect little Gryffindors…"

The worst part about it was that she could picture it. Hermione could picture her life with Ron. They'd be the picture of a perfect couple with the girl and boy she always wanted. But somehow thinking about it didn't make her yearn like it used to.

* * *

Hermione waved a photo in front of Draco's face as she sauntered into the Room of Requirement the next night. Draco took the picture from her fingers. He made a disgusted face.

"Who is this hideous child?" He held the picture from his face as if it stank. "Her ugliness borders on beastly."

"Oh her? That's a picture of Pansy when she was four."

"This can't be Pansy. It doesn't look a thing like her."

"It wouldn't since her parents gave her a potion to make her look better."

Draco's eyebrows rose. He squinted hard at the picture. "Merlin…_it is her_…"

Hermione snickered. "It's priceless. Her parents gave her a potion that is illegal to take before you're of age. Plus I'm pretty sure that picture alone would be incriminating to her."

"How did you get this?"

She stretched like a content cat. "Oh Rita Skeeter owes me quite a few favors."

"I have to admit I'm amazed."

Hermione smiled. "Thank you."

Draco looked at the photograph in his hands as if it were gold. "This…is so good. The perfect thing to shut Pansy up about us."

Us.

She liked the way it sounded when he said it.

"Can you get something on Daphne Greengrass?"

Hermione opened her mouth to ask why before she remembered she said she wouldn't ask questions. Besides, she couldn't say she wasn't pleased that he wanted to blackmail Daphne.

Hermione nodded. "I'll look into it."

They smirked at each other. Draco pulled her into a kiss. She pressed into to him. He ran his hands down her back to cup her bottom. Hermione moved her lips to his neck. His hips jerked.

"Don't do that," he groaned.

"Why not?"

Hermione sucked lightly at the spot that make his hips jerk.

"I'm…warning you…" he growled.

She sucked harder. Draco hiked her legs up with another growl. Hermione wrapped her legs around his waist. She nipped at his sensitive skin then kissed the sting away. He gripped her bottom as he walked them over to the couch. Draco lowered them onto the cushions.

"I swear if you don't stop…"

Hermione paused and lifted her head up from his neck. She smiled at him wickedly before latching her lips onto his throat. He let out a deep groan and ground his hips into hers. Hermione gasped against his skin. It was his turn to give her a wicked smile. He pushed against her as his hand crawled up her shirt. His cool fingers slipped under her bra to grasp her, skin to skin. Hermione moaned, taken by surprise by how good having his skin on hers felt. It wasn't the first time he touched her breasts, but it was the first time his ever reached beneath her bra. Her legs squeezed tighter around his waist, pressing herself closer to his hardness.

Draco pushed up her skirt to slide himself against her panties. Hermione's toes curled inside her shoes. Her eyes screwed shut. Her breath came out in pants and moans. She felt dizzy, drunk, high. She started to see colors behind her eyelids. Draco was whispering in her ear, telling her all the things he wanted to do to her. She shivered. He trembled above her, sweating and cursing. Hot electricity shot over her skin to converge on all the points where their bodies touched.

"Fuck!" Draco curled his hands around her hips to bring them forcibly up to his.

Hermione's head fell back as he ground his hips against her again and again and again. She clawed desperately at his shoulder blades. A low whine started in the back of her throat. Then her whole body was on fire. Her back arched so far off the couch she thought she'd throw Draco off, but he held on tighter as he relentlessly moved against her. Then he let out a loud, long groan and grinded against her a few more times before collapsing.

Hermione laid there panting and running her hands over Draco's sweat matted hair. He pushed himself off her chest to lie next to her. She scooted against his side so she wouldn't fall off the couch. Draco curled an arm around her waist. They laid like that for while in comfortable silence.

"Draco?"

"Hm?"

She laugh lightly at how content his grunt sounded. "I've been thinking about what Pansy said while I was in the closet."

Draco stiffened against her. "What about it?"

"I'm not going to ask questions. Don't worry. I mean I obviously already knew your father was a Death Eater so I wasn't one hundred percent surprised at what Pansy said. If Voldemort is threatening you, Dumbledore can protect you. You don't have to be forced to do anything you don't want to do."

Draco grew still as a statue. It felt like he had stopped breathing.

Hermione propped herself up on one elbow so she could get a good look at him. "You don't have to decide tonight. I was just throwing it out there so you'd know you have options."

He looked at her for a whole minute. His eyes scoured her face and bore into her eyes with a look so intense she felt like it could penetrate her skin. Draco pressed his lips to hers in a hard kiss. Hermione knew her lips would be bruised, but she pressed her lips against his equally as hard because somehow she knew he needed it.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"You're being obvious again," Draco drawled.

"So are you," Blaise retorted.

The two Slytherins glared at each other before turning their eyes back to the Gryffindor table where Hermione, Ginny, Harry, and Ron were sitting. They were all laughing and joking and looking disgustingly happy. The worst part was that they did look perfect together. As if they were all meant to be just as everyone kept saying. Ginny and Harry. Hermione and Ron.

"They're like one big happy family, aren't they?" Daphne said with a smile.

"What would you know about happy families?" Blaise sneered at her. "Your father's a drunk, your mother's a whore, and you're trying to fuck the boy your sister fancies."

Her smile grew nasty. "Speaking of whores, how's your mother doing? Or should I say _who's _your mother doing?"

"I don't know she's probably doing your dad since I know from experience that your mother is rubbish at sucking dick."

Daphne's smile disappeared.

"Now, now children," Draco interrupted, "behave."

Daphne pressed up against Draco's side. "What if I don't want to behave?"

He turned so that his face was a whisper from hers. "I've never behaved a day in my life. I know all moves Daphne and trust me a novice like you will never trump a master like me."

She tilted her face closer to his daringly. "We'll see."

Draco stared at her coolly. "You'll see."

"Gag me," Blaise muttered.

Draco turned from Daphne to roll his eyes at him.

Both boys turned to notice Ginny and Hermione leave the Gryffindor table to exit the Great Hall. They both stood to follow after the girls. Daphne rolled her eyes.

"They're so obvious," she muttered to herself.

Hermione shook her head at Ginny as they left the Great Hall. "You accuse me of leading Ron on, but what would you call what you're doing to Harry?"

Ginny frowned. "I'm not leading him on. Now that me and Dean are broken up, I'm a free woman. I can date whoever the hell I want."

"What? But you're in love with Blaise."

"And that's obviously not going anywhere. I love Harry in my own way. Maybe someday will turn into the romantic kind of love." Ginny shrugged. "But you have no intention of seriously dating my brother."

"You don't know that, maybe someday…"

"No Hermione. You don't understand how deeply you love Draco-"

"I do not love-"

"No matter what you think you're a different person than you were at the beginning of the year. Too different from the kind of girl that would want the same things as Ron for the future."

"How can you say that? How can you know that Ginny? I don't even know what I want for the future."

"That's the point, Hermione. Ron knows what he wants. He wants to marry young, have a wife that takes care of him, and raise a family. Can you do that Hermione? Can you be like my mother?"

What Ginny said hit too close to home.

Hermione scratched behind her ear as she racked her brain for something smart to say.

"Getting pretty cozy with Weasley there Granger," Draco drawled from behind them. "If I didn't know any better I'd say you two finally started dating."

Hermione and Ginny turned to glare at Draco and Blaise.

"What are you on about?" Hermione asked with a frown.

He shrugged coolly. "Just that my sources say you're the reason why little Won-Won and Brown aren't together anymore."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "It's not my fault that Lavender jumped to conclusions."

Draco cut his eyes at her. "Just like Pansy jumped to conclusions about us."

"If it was no big deal, then why didn't you tell us?" Blaise asked. "Why did we have to find out from other people? Why didn't you tell me you broke up with Dean, Ginny?"

Ginny crossed her arms. "First of all, you two are not our keepers. We don't have to report to you. Second, it's none of your business that I broke up with Dean because you made it quite clear you were too embarrassed of me to have anything to do with me. And third, jealousy isn't becoming of either of you."

Draco and Blaise scoffed.

"Like I'd ever be jealous of that peasant," Draco sneered.

"Why would I be jealous of Potter?" Blaise asked with disdain. "I mean have you seen my face? I'm _beautiful_."

Ginny and Hermione shared a look.

"The sheer magnitude of your vanity is astonishing," Hermione said.

Ginny linked her arm through Hermione's. "Come on, let's go somewhere where the boys aren't scared of a little competition."

She pulled the bushy haired girl down the hall.

* * *

"Here." Hermione held out a thick manila envelope to Draco later that night.

Draco stood in the doorway to the Room of Requirement with a confused look on his face. "What is this?"

"Everything you'll ever need on Greengrass." She moved to leave.

"You're not coming in?"

Hermione stopped and turned. "No, I'm busy."

He raised an eyebrow. "Have plans?"

She put her hands on her hips. "As a matter of fact I do. So have a good night." She moved to leave again.

"Have fun with Ron," Draco muttered under his breath.

Hermione spun back around. "Okay at first the jealousy was kind of cute, then it was annoying, and now it's starting to make me angry."

"Oh don't act so high and mighty," Draco hissed. "You were the same person that was so adamant that you were madly in love with him a few weeks ago so excuse the hell out of me if I think he's the reason why you're so eager to leave."

"You know for someone so vain you are so insecure," she hissed.

Draco threw up his hands. "What do you expect me to think when you don't know how you really feel about me-"

"I know exactly how I fe-"

"No you don-"

"Yes I do!" She huffed. "I thought we agreed that we weren't going to talk about things like this."

Draco opened his mouth, but thought better of it. He crossed his arms. "Fine, but come in for a second. I want to talk."

Hermione gave him a curious look. "Okay."

She walked past him into the room. She stood on the rug and waited expectantly. Hermione gasped when Draco yanked her to his chest. He kissed her softly, slowly. It felt like every cell in her body was on fire. He tangled his long fingers into her hair to tilt her face closer to his. His lips gently caressed hers. This was different from the usual crushing kisses they shared, but Hermione wasn't complaining. She was beginning to feel warm and lightheaded. Draco wrapped an arm around her waist to hold her up. Then his lips left her mouth to place soft kisses on her closed eyelids.

"I just wanted to say remember that when you're with him," he whispered in her ear before gently pushing her out the room and shutting the door.

Hermione stood in the hallway, dazed and confused as to what had just happened. She looked back at the Room of Requirement, then ahead of down the corridor. She shook her head and walked back towards the Gryffindor tower.

* * *

Eleven days later, Hermione slipped into the dark infirmary. She had waited all day until after curfew to sneak inside. The wait had clawed at her nerves. Now she was finding it hard to quiet her breath and was almost positive the sound of her heart hammering against her ribs would alert all of Hogwarts to her creeping. She hurried over to where Draco was lying asleep.

She sat down next to his bed. He looked paler than usual in the moonlight. Sweat glistened on his furrowed brow and his mouth was murmuring something intelligible. Hermione undid the tie around the waist of his robe, because she had to see for herself. She stifled a gasp. There were bandages wrapped around his whole torso and disappeared under his loose pants. An ugly dark slash stained the pristine white from his chest to his pelvic bone.

Hermione clutched his robe as anger and sorrow swirled in her stomach. She clenched her teeth and fought back tears. She thought back to when Draco had asked her what had made someone bad or good. To her friends, Draco was the bad guy. But she didn't see what good could come from attacking and almost murdering him. How could Harry be so reckless? He should have known better than to cast spells when he didn't know what would happen.

With a sick lurch, she realized that she couldn't imagine a life without Draco. Hermione could deal with the idea of them growing part and maybe losing touch like so many did, but life in a world where Draco Malfoy didn't exist? She couldn't grasp it, couldn't wrap her mind around it. Hermione looked down at the boy on the bed, her eyes greedily swept over him as if it would be the last time she would ever see him.

Hesitantly, she curled her hand around his. He didn't stir. Hermione swept damp hair from his brow. He murmured and leaned slightly toward the touch. Her heart leapt again at the thought of how close she had been to living in a world without him. Without his snide remarks, his smirks and lopsided grins. Without his searing gaze and equally searing kisses. Tears welled up in her eyes and slipped down her cheeks. She pressed a light kiss to his lips.

"I think I'm a little bit in love with you," she whispered.

One eye cracked open. "Only a little bit?"

Hermione jumped slightly. "I thought you were asleep."

"I was until you starting taking off my clothes."

She blushed. "I was just-"

"Don't make excuses, Granger." He closed his robe and tightly knotted the tie around it with a grimace. "It's perfectly understandable."

"I'm glad you're okay," she murmured.

"Of course I am," he scoffed. "Did you really think that Potter could kill me? Please. I've went up against way worse."

Hermione rolled her eyes, but couldn't keep the smile of relief off her face. Draco slowly lifted a hand to wipe off a tear that clung to her chin.

"I'm glad you finally realized that you're in love with me," he murmured, "because now I can say I told you so."

Her blush darkened. "I said no such thing. The pain is making you delusional."

Draco sighed and slowly dropped his hand. "You're the only delusional person here."

She gently squeezed his hand to get his attention. He looked up at her.

"Okay so I did realize it, but if you ever say I told you so again I will deny it."

Draco gave her a long, unreadable look. "Deal."

* * *

The next night, Harry crept into the dark infirmary. He pulled off his invisibility cloak and sat down in the seat next to Draco's bed.

"Malfoy?" Harry whispered. "Are you awake?"

Draco didn't stir.

"I guess you're asleep then."Harry sighed and ran a hand through his messy hair. "I came to apologize. I don't why I…I mean you have to see it from my perspective you tried to use an Unforgivable on me. Why doesn't anyone take that into consideration? Just because you almost died doesn't make you innocent…" He put his face into his hands. "What was I supposed to do? No one will listen to me. I think even my friends are starting to think I'm paranoid. Wouldn't you be paranoid too if you lived my life? In fourth year I watched Voldemort come back and kill Cedric and no one believed me for a year. If you were me wouldn't you try to do what you think is right despite what everyone tries to tell you? What am I supposed to do? I don't know what's right anymore."

Harry released a shaky sigh.

"I'm sorry Malfoy. There's no excuse for what I did and I hope one day we'll be mature enough to forgive each other."

Harry wrapped his invisibility cloak around himself and moved to go. Draco cracked an eye open and watched him leave.

"What was that?" Hermione said as she threw up her hands.

Ginny shook her head. "I don't know."

The two girls stood alone in the Gryffindor common room. Hermione picked up some of the trash left behind from the celebration that night because she needed something to occupy her hands.

"I guess…me and Harry are together now," Ginny said softly.

Hermione angrily threw the trash into a bin. "Tell me Ginny do you end up dating every bloke that randomly snogs you in public?"

The red head sighed. "It's really late Hermione, I can't think straight."

She pursed her lips. "It's a Friday night, I'm sure you can afford to lose a little sleep."

"What do you want from me?" Ginny asked exasperatedly. "What am I supposed to do? The one I love is a vain bigoted asshole that swears he loves me one day and ignores me the next. My lifelong crush wants to be with me and I know he'll treat me right."

"At least tell Harry the truth," Hermione urged. "You owe him that much. Don't lead him on."

"Why should I tell him about Blaise? Harry doesn't need to know."

"Come on Ginny. You need to tell him before you get too far into the relationship."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Really Hermione. It was one kiss. It's not like I'm gonna marry him."

"You should be honest-"

"-like you're being with Ron? Oh please Hermione. Stop being a know-it-all for one second and take your own advice. Ron broke up with his girlfriend over you-"

"Actually Lavender broke up with him-"

"Ron loves you. You don't love him. That's the reality. So either you let him know you don't want to be with him or stop trying to tell me what to do."

Hermione frowned. "What's with the attitude?"

Ginny exhaled heavily. "I'm just stressed. This isn't easy for me. I'm not trying to hurt Harry, but I just need someone who will be there for me. Someone I can actually be with."

"I understand."

The youngest Weasley looked sheepish. "I'm sorry to getting on your case about you and Ron."

Hermione waved a hand at her. "S'okay I'm starting to think you might be right. Maybe there's nothing between us anymore."

Ginny leaned her head on Hermione's shoulder. "What is it about Slytherin men?"

She sighed dramatically. "They're simply irresistible."

* * *

"How much longer are you going to be in here?" Blaise asked with annoyance. "You've already been here a week."

Draco glared at him. "I'm sorry my suffering is so bothersome to you. Please accept my sincerest apologies."

He sniffed. "Apology accepted."

The blond boy rolled his eyes. "What did you find out?"

Blaise glanced around the empty infirmary before leaning closer to the bed. "Nott has been telling people that the Dark Lord gave him a mission as well."

Draco's eyes narrowed to grey slits. "What is it?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. He won't say."

"Why would he want my mission so badly if he has a mission of his own?" Draco wondered.

Blaise shrugged again. "Maybe your mission is better than his. I don't know."

"Find out then," Draco ordered. "Merlin, I swear. What am I blackmailing you for?"

Blaise sniffed. "I'm doing what I can, He-Who-Is-Impatient."

"Well that's obviously not good enough."

"You know I like you better when you don't speak."

"The feeling is mutual I assure you."

"Good."

Draco waved him away. "Yes, yes. Now piss off."

Blaise stood and grumbled, "Yeah, yeah pissing off" as he walked out the room.

* * *

"Tell me about what Dumbledore can do to protect me," Draco murmured.

Hermione lifted her head from his shoulder in surprise. "Oh…well Dumbledore is the only person Voldemort is afraid of so as long as you're under his watch Voldemort wouldn't dare touch you."

Draco made a skeptical noise in the back of his throat as her pulled her closer to his side. She snuggled gingerly against his torso while being mindful of his injury. Hermione stared up at the ceiling of the infirmary as she contemplated what she should say next.

"And…Dumbledore has an organization dedicated to standing up against him. You could hide out at headquarters. It's completely safe and the setting would suit you." She smiled wryly.

They laid in silence in the dark infirmary, listening to each other's breathing. Draco's finger's twitched at her waist followed by a sharp intake of breath. Hermione lifted her head to see his grimace of pain.

"Draco it's time for you to take another dose of the potion."

He winced again. "I don't want it."

"Why not?"

"Because it makes me tired and I wan—I just don't want it."

"Fine. You want to suffer it's your prerogative."

Draco looked at her with hooded eyes. "You could do something about my suffering."

"Like what? Do you want a massage or something?"

He chuckled lightly. "You could call it that…"

"Where do you need it?"

Draco curled his hand around her wrist and guided her hand between his legs. Hermione's eyes widened when her palm came in contact with a bulge under his robes. He lifted his hips slightly to gently press against her. She blushed furiously but didn't move away.

"Is this what you need?" she whispered.

He nodded.

Hermione carefully ran her palm along the length of him. His head dropped back onto his pillow and his hand released her wrist. She ran her hand up and down him through his robe, gaining more confidence with each stroke.

"Touch it," Draco whispered.

She giggled. "I am."

He untied his robe and pushed her hand into his pants. She gasped and tried to pull away but he held her hand in place. He groaned from deep in the back of his throat. Hermione watched his face in fascination as he ground gently against her palm. When he was confident that she wasn't going to move, Draco released her wrist and moved against her faster. His face grew flushed. His hazy eyes closed slowly.

"Hold on," Hermione murmured.

Draco reluctantly cracked his eyes open. His hips struggled to stop moving. He trembled. Hermione gently tugged down his pants. She stared quizzically at his boxers before discovering the slit down the front. She reached her hand in and pulled him out through the slit. He let out a groan. Hermione blushed and moved her hand along him. Never having seen one before let alone touch one, she was nervous but the needy sounds coming from Draco's mouth pushed her along. His skin was softer than she thought it would be. She watched in fascination as his hips pushed against her fist.

"Lick your hand," Draco murmured.

Hermione frowned in confusion. "What?"

"Lick your hand then keep touching me."

Hermione licked her palm then wrapped it back around him. She was both surprised and immensely pleased by his reaction. Draco choked back a loud groan and started thrusting into her fist. He was starting to sweat. He closed his eyes. His thrusts grew frantic. Hermione's arm was starting to get tired but she pushed to keep up with his pace. Draco grabbed her wrist, holding her hand still as he violently thrust into it. Then his whole body stiffened as white spurts covered her hand. Hermione watched as he slowly came down. Draco's body collapsed into the infirmary bed. He cracked an eye open and groggily wiped off her hand with his robe.

His hands reached to pull at her skirt. Hermione leaped away from him off the bed.

"What are you doing?" she whispered.

"Returning the favor," he said with a smirk.

"No."

He looked disappointed. "Why not?"

"Because you're still recovering."

"I promise I won't strain myself."

"No Draco." Hermione glanced at her watch. "I should be going."

"Why?" It came out almost like a whine.

"Because there's this thing called sleep. You should try it some time."

Draco pouted. "Get back on the bed."

She shook her head. "No, I'll see you tomorrow night."

Hermione gave him a quick kiss and jumped out of the way when he reached for her. She laughed. He glared at her.

"You're taking advantage of my weakness," Draco accused.

She shrugged with a smirk. "I guess I've been hanging around a certain Slytherin too much."

Draco crossed his arms grumpily.

She laughed again. "Don't be mad. I'll see you tomorrow night."

"Yeah yeah bugger off then."

She smiled, waved, and exited the infirmary.

* * *

A week later, Hermione smiled at Draco as she approached the Room of Requirement.

"Welcome back," she said. "How does it feel to be in the outside world?"

He rolled his eyes. "Incredibly sore."

Hermione walked into the room. "It's amazing that you healed without any damage."

Draco gaped. "Without any damage? Have you seen how that bloody asshole mutilated my perfect body?"

Hermione pursed her lips. "I'm sure you're over exaggerating."

He lifted up his shirt to expose a shiny scar that ran from his collar bone to his pelvic bone. "The fucking git almost cut me in half."

She carefully ran a finger down the mark. "It could have been worse."

Draco angrily yanked his shirt down. "It could only have been worse if that wanker actually killed me."

Hermione shook her head at him and sat down on the couch. "I kind of like the scar."

He gaped at her. "You sadistic wench."

She rolled her eyes. "It's kind of cool. It's sinister."

"Sinister?" Draco lifted his shirt to examine it.

Hermione smiled to herself. "Yes, every sinister person has a scar."

He pursed his lips. "Potter has a scar."

She shrugged slightly and muttered, "He has his dark moments too…"

Draco pulled his shirt down and walked across the room. "I have something for you."

"What is it?"

"Close your eyes."

She closed her eyes with an impatient huff. Draco dropped something into her hands.

Hermione opened her eyes. "A Time-Turner? Does that mean you fixed the cabinet?"

Draco shook his head. "No. I realized that it wasn't something I had to do. I don't have to prove anything to my father."

She beamed at him. "I'm so happy to hear that, Draco."

He toed at the hole in the rug. "I've been thinking…since I'm not on my father's side then…I should…you know…be on another side…"

Her eyebrows rose. "You mean on my side? The Light Side?"

Draco shrugged then nodded.

Hermione smiled wide and threw herself at him with an excited squeal. He stumbled back and wrapped his arms around her to hold her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist. Hermione kissed every inch of his face then devoured his lips.

* * *

"So let me get this straight…you want you want to risk your life and your family name to save some old man that doesn't even like you?" Blaise asked.

Draco glared him. "You wouldn't understand."

"You're right for once, Malfoy. I don't understand. I mean that man is _old. _He'll probably die soon anyway. You'd only be helping him get on with it."

The blond rubbed at his temples. "If you think it's so easy then you do it."

Blaise sniffed. "I don't like to get my hands dirty."

"You're a pansy."

He sighed. "Don't hate me because I'm beautiful."

"You are sitting pretty on the neutral side, aren't you?"

Blaise shrugged. "I like siding with winners. I'll wait and see who has the best odds before I choose a side."

"What was all that talk about hating Muggleborns?"

He shrugged again. "When in Rome..."

Draco rolled his eyes. "You're a poser."

"You call it being a poser. I call it survival."

Draco rolled his eyes again.

* * *

Hermione pulled her shirt on and propped herself up on her elbow. "I need the map back."

"What?" Draco asked groggily.

"I need the map back. "

The hazy look left his grey eyes. "Why?"

"Because…Harry needs it."

Draco sat up. "What makes you think I still have it?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "You're not stupid Draco. You know how useful it is. Of course you still have it."

"And why would I want to give it to Potter?"

"Because I'm asking you to."

Draco sighed. "I need it."

"What do you need it for?"

"What does Harry need it for?"

"What does it matter what he needs it for? It was his to begin with."

He looked at her suspiciously. "Why are you trying so hard to get it back?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I'm not trying hard. I'm asking just you."

Draco gave her a long look before sighing. "Look, I need that map because I can't trust the people in my House. I need to have a leg up on them. The map is a way I can keep an eye on what's going on behind my back. You know how serious the situation is, Hermione. I _need _this map."

She stared at him for a moment then nodded. He cupped her cheek, running the pad of this thumb along it before kissing her. Hermione tangled her hand in his hair and dragged her body to press tighter against him. Draco ran a hand over the curve of her breast, down her waist, and around the swell of her hip to curl around her knee, hitching her leg around his waist. She broke away with a wild gasp to suck in air. He moved his lips place teasing kisses just above her breasts.

She ran her fingers through his hair as she watched him. "What brought this on?"

Draco kissed her collar bone once more before turning eyes towards her. "I just realized something…"

"What?" she asked when she realized he wasn't going to finish.

He turned his eyes back to her chest to place more kisses. He kissed skin so long she thought he wouldn't respond.

"I realized that the only two things I can rely on are that map…and you…" he murmured against her skin. "I'm not sure how I feel about that…"

Hermione breathed in once, twice, three times before pulling his face towards hers.

* * *

AN: Hello guys. Just wanted to say thanks for the lovely feedback and I wanted to point out that one of Hermione's lines is taken from Lykke Li's song "Little Bit".


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"I don't trust Greengrass," Blaise muttered.

"Which Greengrass?" Draco asked.

He rolled his eyes. "Which do you think? Must I really clarify? I honestly don't know how her younger sister even got into Slytherin. That girl has so little ambition it's disgusting."

Draco's grey eyes swept over the Slytherin common room. "I don't trust anyone in this House."

"Not even me?"

"Especially you."

Blaise put his hand over her his heart. "You wound me."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Tell me, what did Daphne do _this_ time?"

"Nothing."

The blond blinked a few times. "She did…nothing…?"

"Absolutely nothing."

Draco peered at him over steepled fingers. "You're either being cryptic or extremely obtuse."

"Think about it. She makes all these demands and all of a sudden she backs off?"

He looked at Blaise like he was stupid. "Uh that's the magic of blackmail. It has a way of keeping people quiet."

Blaise rolled his eyes. "Since when has a true Slytherin ever rolled over? No, she's complying too easily. She's just biding her time. She's planning something."

Draco rolled his eyes back at him. "Oh please you just want to believe that because you're still sore that she dropped you when Pansy snapped her fingers."

He sniffed. "I'm not sore. I know that she knows she still wants me."

The blond shook his head. "What does that matter? You don't even like Daphne."

"It's the principle of the matter." Blaise picked something off his lapel. "But that's beside the point. The point is, is that we should keep an eye on her."

"Just let it go, Zabini." Draco pinched the bridge of his nose. "She isn't planning anything."

Blaise's eyes narrowed. "You know I never thought I'd see the day when Draco Malfoy went soft."

Draco glared at him. "Soft? _Soft?_ I don't know the first thing about being soft. It isn't even in my vocabulary."

He shook his head. "You're losing your edge. Shit like that can get you killed."

Draco's glare turned so cold Blaise leaned away from him slightly. "If you ever _ever _accuse me of being soft again I will curse all the skin off your body."

They stared at each other for seven heated seconds.

Blaise's lips set in a hard line. "No wonder you have so many enemies."

"You call them enemies," Draco said. "I call them people who wish they were me."

* * *

Hermione looked up from her book with a raised eyebrow. "Yes…?"

Harry, Ron, and Ginny stood around the table she was seated at in the corner of the common room. Harry and Ron looked around awkwardly. Ginny brutally poked the boys in their stomachs.

"Ow." Ron rubbed his side. "That bloody hurt."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Oh suck it up and tell her."

Harry and Ron ran their hands through their hair and muttered, "We're sorry."

Hermione was taken aback. "What did you say?"

"We're sorry Hermione," Ron said. "We shouldn't have made you try to get the map from Malfoy."

"Yeah it was our fault he took it anyway," Harry said. "We should've tried to get it back ourselves. I guess we're just so used to you fixing our screw ups. We hadn't realized how much we relied on you…how much pressure we put on you. It was pretty selfish of us."

Hermione looked surprised. "It's okay. What's done is what's done."

The two boys smiled at her.

"Thanks, Hermione," Harry said. "And don't worry about getting the map back okay. You two were right. I was just being really paranoid. I'm going to stop obsessing over Malfoy. I need to focus my attention on getting back the Horcruxes."

A warm feeling bloomed in her stomach and she suddenly felt light, buoyant. "I'm so happy to hear that Harry, because Dra-"

The chair across from her moved slightly without anyone touching it. The four Gryffindors jumped in surprise.

"Must've been a ghost," Ron said.

Hermione nodded distantly while casting a suspicious eye around the common room.

"What were you saying?" Harry asked.

"Nothing," Hermione was still looking around, "I'm just happy to hear that."

* * *

"I think someone is following me," Hermione said as she walked into the Room of Requirement the next night.

Draco's expression turned from warm to murderous. "Who?"

"I don't know." She wrapped her arms around herself. "I just can't shake this feeling that I'm being watched. Strange things keep happening. Things randomly get knocked over without anyone touching them. Some of my things are in places that don't remember putting them."

Draco walked over to the shelves and pulled out the map. He studied the paper with a hard look. A deep frown creased his brow. He passed it to Hermione. "Take a look at your dorm."

Hermione looked down at the paper. "What am I looking for?"

He exhaled impatiently. "Brown is moving around."

"So what? She lives there, too."

"Her movements are suspicious. She's not pacing. It looks like she's looking for something."

"You think Lavender is the one following me?" Hermione shook her head. "No, not Lavender."

"Why not?"

"Because she has no reason to."

"You'd be surprised." Draco shook his head. "You're so naïve. You always want to see the good in people."

"What's wrong with that?"

"What's wrong with that is that it can get you killed-"

"Well excuse the crap out of me if I refuse to live my life constantly paranoid for no good reason-"

"I have plenty of reasons. You have no idea what I've been through-"

"Yeah and my life has just be some walk in the park." Hermione rolled her eyes. "Get over yourself. You're not the only one with a hard life."

"You don't know the meaning of a hard life!" Draco blew up. "Every move I make directly affects whether my family lives to see another day-"

"And I live my life in constant fear that the despicable man your family serves will come to power and wipe out my whole family just for being born. You don't get it. It doesn't matter who wins this war, you'll still be okay. If Voldemort falls, you can always pay or squeal your way out of Azkaban. If Voldemort wins, you'll be sitting pretty and my family will be hunted like dogs. So don't you dare try to tell me that my life is easy. I just choose not to assume the worst of people-"

"That's what wrong with you." Draco threw his hands up. "That right there. Some people just have bad intentions. That's life. It isn't all rainbows and unicorns. You are one of the most unrealistic people I know-"

"I'm an extremely logical person I-"

"You're book smart which is different than being logical. People laugh at you behind your back. Your friends laugh at you behind your back. Remember S.P.E.W? That gave us material for days-"

"At least I have friends! At least I'm not some miserable cynic who's all alone."

They stared at each other, arms cross, angry breathing flaring their nostrils. Hermione glared at him, thinking that if this were a movie they'd start kissing. She pursed her lips at the thought of how ridiculous and unrealistic that would be.

"I don't know how I can stand you," Draco hissed before pulling her into a kiss.

Hermione struggled, but he was too strong for her. He held her in place by wrapping his arms around her. She bit down on his lip, drawing blood. Draco pulled his head away from hers to run his tongue along his bottom lip, dragging it through his blood before pulling it back into his mouth. Then his lips crashed back into hers. She could taste the iron on tongue. He moved his mouth to suck at the spot on her neck that drove her crazy. She couldn't hold back the moan that pushed past her lips.

Hermione's eyes closed slowly as she began to forget why she hadn't wanted to do this. Draco picked her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist. He lowered them onto the couch. He pushed her skirt up around her waist and pulled her panties down her legs. She pulled at his forearms to bring him up kiss her, but he instead trailed kisses up her thighs.

"Draco…" she whined.

He chuckled against her skin. "Be patient, you'll like this."

Hermione propped herself up onto her elbows to peer down at him. She watched in fascination as Draco placed his lips _down there_.

"Uhhhhh…." Her toes curled against the couch, her legs drew up, her hands closed into tight fists.

Draco continued to lap at her mercilessly. He swirled his tongue around her clit. Her hips bucked. He put a hand on her hip to hold her down. She panted and thrashed. She begged him to stop. Then she begged him to keep going until she couldn't recognize her own voice. Hermione buried her hands into his hair, pressing his face closer to her heat. She ground against his face. In the back of her mind, she knew she must be smothering him but she couldn't find the will to care. Then she went blind and all the oxygen left her lungs. Her back arched off the couch. Then she collapsed into a gasping heap.

Once she could breathe properly, she looked down at Draco who was watching her as he gently lapped at her damp thighs. Hermione smiled at him crookedly. He smirked and pulled himself up her body.

"Draco wait-"

He pushed his lips against hers to silence her. Draco plied her lips apart and slipped his tongue into her mouth, making sure to make her taste herself. She tried to pull away but he followed. Hermione pushed on his chest. He backed off.

"Sorry," Draco muttered.

Hermione stared up at him. She could tell he was trying to hold back from doing what he really wanted. She could feel how excited he was. Hermione pulled his face back to hers, tentatively licking her juices off his lips before kissing him. A deep groan ripped from his throat as his hips pushed against hers.

When they finally broke for air he growled, "I'm so fucking turned on."

"Flip us over," she murmured.

"What?"

"Flip us over," she said louder, with more confidence.

Draco raised an eyebrow, but did as she said. Hermione straddled his hips as she gave him a deep kiss. Then she moved down his body to pull off his belt and undo his pants. She glanced up at him, half-expecting to see him smirking down at her. Hermione was surprised to see all he had on his face was need. Warmth bloomed in her stomach as she felt an overwhelming urge to give him what he needed. She slowly pulled off his pants and then his boxers.

Hermione licked her palm before sliding it down his shaft. He bucked. She smiled. Her hand stroked him slow at first, because she knows that was how he liked it. Then she increased her speed. Draco's head fell back as his mouth released a moan. She gave the head an experimental lick. His eyes shot open. Hermione blushed and pulled away slightly.

"No," he groaned as he thrust against her hand. "Don't stop."

Hermione took a deep breath and wrapped her lips around him. He moaned. She took him in deeper. His hands tangled into her hair, pressing her head down then pulling her head up. Her hand moved along him in time with each bob of her head. His breathing grew erratic.

"Shit Hermione I'm…_shit_…"

She took him in even deeper, faster. Draco released a loud groan as he came into her throat. Hermione pulled away to wipe off her mouth. She looked around before deciding she'd just have to swallow it. It didn't taste as bad as she thought it would, but it wasn't the best thing she ever tasted either (she'd put the taste just above ear wax). But the look on Draco's face as he watched her swallow his cum made it worth it. Hermione licked her lips just to see his reaction.

He groaned and pulled her to him to kiss her. "You're kinda sexy when you're mad," he said when they broke for air.

"Really?" She raised an eyebrow. "Because I only find you to be annoying."

Draco flipped them over. "I'll show you annoying," he growled before attacking her lips.

* * *

"Open this." Draco pushed the envelope across the table towards Blaise.

"What for?"

"Because I don't know if it's jinxed or not."

Blaise sniffed. "So I'm worth sacrificing."

"Of course you are."

The brown skinned boy glared at him and picked up the letter. He touched the wax seal with a slim finger. "It's sealed with a family crest."

"Whose crest?"

Blaise gave him a sharp look. "How should I know? It's not like I care to memorize the pureblood crests."

"Just opened it then. "

He rolled his eyes and broke the seal. He quickly scanned the letter before going back to read it a second time. He let out a low whistle.

"Well, what does it say?" Draco asked impatiently.

"It says: Malfoy I wrote you this letter to inform you that you are being used. Despite whatever you may think and whatever she may have told you, Hermione Granger is a conniving liar who will do anything to get what she wants. She still despises you and is only pretending to care for you only to take the map from you and lead you into a trap that she, Potter, and Weasley have concocted to insure your demise. Do not trust her. Signed a concerned friend."

Draco frowned to himself.

Blaise raised an eye brow. "Well, does any of that ring true?"

"Take that letter to Pansy and ask her if it's Daphne's handwriting."

"What makes you think Pansy wi-"

"Damnit Zabini what is it about blackmail that you do not understand!"

Blaise gave him a measuring look for a moment before pocketing the letter along with the envelope and walking away.

* * *

"Why did you help me with the cabinet?" Draco asked as he drew circles on Hermione's bare arm later that night.

Hermione smiled teasingly. "Well I couldn't pass up the opportunity to have a Time-Turner."

"You're not that materialistic, Granger. I want to know the truth."

She propped herself up on her elbow to get a good look at him. "Where is this coming from?"

"Answer me."

"Honestly, I felt sorry for you. You looked like you needed help-"

"Are you sure it wasn't for that map?"

Hermione stood up from the couch. "No, it wasn't for that stupid map! Why can't you accept the fact that there might actually be nice people in the world who don't always have a motive to want to do something nice for someone? Of course I thought about getting the map back in the beginning, but everything I did, I did for you."

Draco stared up at her silently.

She sighed as she tried to smooth down her hair. "Look, believe it or don't. It's up to you. You said you trusted me. Well to trust is to believe someone even if you don't have proof, or facts. It's a feeling. Either you have it or you don't." Hermione put on her jumper. "I know you're used to being around people who are suspicious of you but I'm not." She moved to leave.

Draco grabbed her wrist and pulled her back down on the couch. "Don't leave."

She stared at him a moment before nodding. He pulled her back against his chest and curled his body around hers. They laid in silence, both engrossed in their thoughts.

* * *

"Why can't you let me be happy?" Ginny burst into tears.

"You're not happy with him!" Blaise huffed with exasperation.

Hermione shifted the books in her arms uncomfortably and wondered if she should leave. But then she thought that she had been there first, minding her own business as she walked back to Gryffindor tower with Ginny when Blaise came from nowhere to start a conversation that quickly spiraled out of control.

"I wasn't happy with you either!" Ginny screamed back.

"Yes you were."

"Maybe in that parallel universe that exists only in your delusional mind."

"You think you're better off with _Potter_? What can he do for you? Has he even held a girl's hand yet? He wouldn't know what to do with you-"

"Just because Harry isn't a _whore_ like you-"

"I'm _experienced_. There's a difference-"

Ginny threw up her arms. "Call it whatever you like. Bravo, Blaise. You win over Harry in the sleaze bag category."

Blaise glared at her. "Fine. Pretend that you really want Potter over me. We both know who you really think of at night."

"So what if do think about you? You are so concerned over the most meaningless things. Would it make you feel good about yourself if you could say that I think about you at night? That you're a better lover? That's the problem with you. You have this need to be better than people in the most trivial ways and it's _pathetic_."

His nostrils flared. "You're the pathetic one! You could have a better position in society, but you'd rather pal around with riff raff-"

"Don't call my frien-"

"You think I'm self-centered? You're the self-centered one, Ginny! You ask me to completely change my way of life and server all ties with my friends just to be with you when you'd _never_ do the same for me."

Ginny gaped. "I shouldn't have to-"

"And why's that? Because you're a better person than me with better friends and a better ideology? Now who needs to be better? You're the most hypocritical person I've ever met, and that's saying a lot. You'd never do for me what you ask me to do for you." Blaise shook his head. "You deserve to be miserable with Potter. You two are perfect for each. You're both self-righteous."

With that he turned on his heel and left Ginny gapping after him. Ginny spun on an extremely uncomfortable Hermione.

"Can you believe the nerve of him?" Ginny hissed. "_I hate him_!"

Then she burst into tears. Hermione awkwardly patted her on the back around her armful of books.

"I hate that he can do this me! I hate that he is an absolute git and that he's absolutely right about me…"

The rest of what Ginny said was lost amongst shudders and hiccups, but Hermione held her through her sobbing, ignoring her cramping arms.

* * *

"Here," the girl held out a note to Hermione.

Hermione bent her head, trying to see the girl's face. "Parkinson?"

Pansy tilted her head to keep her face hidden beneath the hood of her cloak. "Just the take the damn letter."

She crossed her arms. "Why?"

She huffed with exasperation. "Because need you to give it to someone for me."

Hermione laughed out loud. Pansy shushed her angrily.

"Keep your voice down," Pansy hissed. "You'll draw the attention of the whole building with your braying."

Hermione glared at her. "Bugger off, Parkinson." She turned to walk down the hall.

Pansy hurried after her. "Wait. Granger!"

She kept going. Pansy latched onto her arm and tried to use her body weight to stop her. Hermione grit her teeth and kept going, dragging Pansy along with her.

"Granger, please this isn't easy, okay? I need your _help_."

Hermione stopped, threw Pansy off her arm, and spun around. "My help? What could you possibly need my help for?"

Pansy looked up and down the corridor before pulling her hood down lower over her face. "I'm being watched. I can't send this note because I know all the ones I send are screened."

Hermione frowned, "Who-"

"I can't talk, okay? I need to hurry. You're the last person they'd expect me to send a letter through."

Hermione sighed and held out her hand. "Okay I'll do it."

"Don't tell anyone about it. Especially Draco." Pansy slid the envelope into her hand. "And don't you dare read it," she hissed before flouncing down the hall.

Hermione glared at her back, thinking that she was just too nice to people who didn't deserve it. She flipped the envelope over in her hands and saw Dumbledore's name scrawled across it. Shock panged through her. Why would Pansy need to talk to the Headmaster so badly? It took all her will power to put the letter into her pocket without reading it.

* * *

"It's not Daphne's handwriting," Blaise said before throwing down the letter onto the table in front of Draco.

"Whose is it then?" Draco asked.

"I don't know."

"You don't know?" Draco glared at him. "What do you mean you don't know? I gave that letter to you a week ago. You should have figured out whose handwriting it is by now."

"I've checked everyone's handwriting in the House. It doesn't match up with anyone's."

"I don't give a fuck if you have to check everyone's handwriting in the school. You better find out who wrote that damn letter!"

"And just how am I going to get a handwriting sample from everyone in the entire school?"

Draco cut his eyes at him. "That's your problem. You figure it out."

Blaise snatched up the letter while muttering darkly to himself.

"What was that?" Draco hissed.

"Nothing, just calling you a slave driver under my breath."

Draco leaned back in his chair. "Well all great nations were built on the backs of lesser people."

"Have you ever heard of what happened to the leaders of these nations?"

"Enlighten me, Zabini."

"You should read up on the story of Moses and Ramses," Blaise said before walking out of room.

* * *

Hermione bent her head, trying to see the boy's face underneath his hood. "Zabini?"

"Shhh," Blaise hushed. "I came to you because I need to ask for your help."

"You need my help?" She asked incredulously.

"Yes."

"What could you possibly need my help for?"

"Malfoy is on a tyrannical rampage. If I don't get this done, I think he actually might curse all my skin off."

"Surely you're just being overdramatic." Hermione crossed her arms with her curiosity getting the better of her. "What does he want you to do?"

Blaise looked up and down the hall before pulling her into an empty classroom. "He wants me to cross check the handwriting in a letter with everyone's handwriting in the entire school."

Hermione's eyebrows rose. "What? That's almost impossible."

"Almost being the operative word that Draco had in mind when he forced me to do this."

Hermione shrugged, unsympathetic. "Well that's what happens when you're being blackmailed."

Blaise gaped at her. "What happened to your unbridled sympathy for abused creatures?"

She thought about it for a moment before shrugging. "I don't know. I guess Draco's callousness has rubbed off on me."

"Look, if this has anything to do with me and Ginny-"

"It has nothing to do with that. I'm just tired of people thinking they can treat me like crap and then have the nerve to ask me for a favor. I'm not a complete pushover."

"I never said that you wer-"

"And furthermore, I find it quite insulting that I should be expected to help someone who despises my very existence and has dedicated the last six years to making that fact crystal clear to me and everyone around me."

And with that she stormed out the room.

* * *

Hermione walked into the Room of Requirement to find Draco at the table reading a book. She stood behind him.

"What are you reading?" she asked.

He jumped slightly, surprised by her approach. "When did you get here?"

"A few seconds ago."

"Oh." He pulled off his glasses and closed the book. "I was just reading a book of Muggle folklore."

Hermione picked it up and examined the cover. "You're reading the Bible? What brought this on?"

"I was trying to find the story of Moses and Ramses."

"Oh I know that one." Hermione sat down next to him. "It takes place in Egypt thousands and thousands of years ago when the Egyptians had Hebrews for slaves. One day, the pharaoh, the leader of the Egyptians, ordered that all newborn Hebrew boys to be killed. Moses' mother hid him in a basket and put the basket in a river. Moses was discovered by the royal family and was adopted by them. He grew up with Ramses, another member of the royal family, without knowledge of his Hebrew blood. Well one day, he finds out about his heritage and he kills an Egyptian guard-"

Draco held up a hand. "Can you just give me the condensed version?"

Hermione pursed her lips. "Hmph. Moses flees but eventually returns and tells Ramses, who is now pharaoh, that he has to let his people go. Ramses refuses. Moses brings plague after plague on the nation, but Ramses still refuses. Then the last plague kills the firstborn son of the pharaoh. Ramses decides to let the Hebrews go, then but changes his mind and goes after the Hebrews and ends up being drowned in the sea."

"Hmph." Draco crossed his arms. "I find no merit in that story whatsoever."

"Well I rather like that story," Hermione said.

"You would."

She rolled her eyes. "Where did you get the Bible from anyway?"

"In Muggle Studies section of the library."

"So why were you trying to find the story of Moses and Ramses?"

"Zabini mentioned it in some asinine comment."

Hermione nodded but was suddenly lost in her own thoughts. Draco said something to her, but she hadn't been listening.

"Huh?"

"I said your hair looks nice like that."

Hermione absently reached up to touch her messy bun. "Oh thank you."

He lifted her chin with a cool finger. "It's sexy."

She blushed.

Draco laughed. "After everything we've done, you blush over me calling you sexy?"

Hermione pulled away with a huff. "Well I'm sorry if I'm just not used to hearing it."

Draco turned her head back so he could stare into her eyes. "You're sexy. Just thinking about your kisses makes me hot. Your touch makes me lose control." He broke eye contact to kiss her neck. "I love touching you. I love the feel of your breasts in my hands. I think of the way you feel at night when I'm alone and I get off so quick." He sucked gently at the skin just below her ear. "And the feeling of your mouth on me is the most amazing thing I ever felt in my life."

Hermione pulled away from him with a flushed face and hazy eyes. Then she pounced on him, making them tumble to the ground in a passionate heap.

* * *

"I think you should help him," Ginny said.

"What?" Hermione gaped. "Why?"

"The reason why you don't want to help Blaise is because of me."

"No it's not."

Ginny gave her look.

Hermione sighed. "Okay it is, but it's only part of the reason. I'm just tired of being a doormat with a bleeding heart. Why should I do anything for him after the way he's treated me?"

"Because that's who you are. It's in your nature to help others and there's nothing wrong with that. Hermione don't become someone you're not out of spite."

Hermione stood.

"Where are you going?" Ginny asked.

"There's something I have to do," Hermione said before exiting the common room.

She walked down the winding corridors until she reached Dumbledore's office. She pulled out Pansy's letter. Hermione held it in her hands, fingering the seal. She sighed gently before slipping the letter under the door. Then she walked over to the owlery to scribble a quick note: _Blaise, I know how to get those handwriting samples. Meet me in the library after classes tomorrow. Hermione._ She attached the note to the leg of an owl. Hermione watched the owl fly off, hoping she was doing the right thing.

* * *

AN: Hey everyone. I'm really not sure how Ramses is supposed to be spelled. I googled it and picked the spelling that came up the most so there you go. And thank you for the feedback.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"What's going on?" Pansy asked with a glare as she sat down at the library table between Blaise and Hermione.

Blaise shrugged. "I'm not the one calling the shots here. Granger is."

Pansy turned her glare on the Gryffindor. "Why the hell did you send me note telling me to meet you here?"

Hermione calmly laced her fingers together. "Simple. I helped you, now it's time for you to return the favor."

A sneer twisted her face. "How dare you-"

"Parkinson, I suggest you don't get an attitude," Hermione said. "You have no room to in your situation. So quit trying to be elitist before I decide to tell everyone about the little favor I did for you."

Pansy glared at her. "Don't play games with me, Granger. Trust me, I've playing them for years and I've never been out maneuvered."

"Can we please refrain from turning this into a cat fight," Blaise interjected. "I want to get to reason why we are here."

Hermione sent Pansy one last heated look before moving on. "Yes. You need a handwriting sample from everyone in the school, right?"

Blaise nodded.

"All we need to do is give everyone in the school safety tips on how to stay safe during these dangerous times and require that they all write out a statement acknowledging that they received and understood the information."

Blaise smiled. "Brilliant."

"Just what in Merlin's name does this have to do with me?" Pansy asked with irritation.

"As a fellow prefect, you have the ability to suggest the safety tips be distributed," Hermione said. "When they come in, you will go through them until you find a match."

Pansy crossed her arms. "And what will you be doing?"

Hermione examined her fingernails. "Me? I won't be doing anything. You'll be doing it all."

Pansy flushed with anger.

Hermione shrugged. "Get angry all you like. You'll do it if you don't want me to tell everyone about that letter you wrote to-"

"Okay fine, I'll do it you conniving little Mudblood," Pansy hissed. "_Anything else_?"

"Yes there is. There is someone following me. I want you both to ask around and figure out who it is."

The two Slytherins nodded.

"Oh and pay special attention to Lavender Brown," Hermione said.

* * *

Ginny laughed. "And then Snape said 'Well that was unexpected'!"

The table of Gyffindors burst into laughter. Harry slung an arm around Ginny. She leaned her head on his shoulder with a smile. Hermione tried to be happy for them, but the smile felt fake on her lips. Ron caught her eye and smiled at her with warm eyes. His hand curled around hers under the table. She squeezed his hand, patting it twice to lessen the sting when she pulled her hand away. He looked confused and slightly hurt. She didn't laugh for the rest of breakfast.

* * *

"What did you find?" Hermione asked.

"The handwriting is Greengrass'," Pansy said from across the library table.

Blaise nodded. "I knew Daphne-"

"No, not Daphne," Pansy interrupted. "_Astoria _Greengrass."

Blaise's jaw dropped. "_No_."

"Check for yourself." Pansy slid a piece of parchment to him.

He snatched it up skeptically. His eyes quickly scanned it. "I can't believe it…"

Pansy crossed her arms. "Well believe it."

Hermione's curiosity was piqued, but she decided it would be best if she didn't get too involved with Slytherin drama. "Did you find out who was following me?"

Blaise sat up straight. "Well we had to do some extensive undercover work-"

"It's Brown," Pansy cut straight to the point.

He frowned. "You really enjoy ruining things for me. That was so anticlimactic."

"Why?" Hermione asked to no one in particular. "What reason does she have to follow me?"

Blaise gave her a dry look. "Really, Granger. It's rather simple. Brown loves Weasley. Weasley loves you. Brown becomes jealous and is trying to figure out a way to exact her revenge."

Hermione shook her head in disbelief. "That's absurd. Why would Lavender want revenge on me? I didn't do anything to her."

Pansy rolled her eyes. "Your naivety is astounding."

Hermione glared at her.

"Sometimes people do things just because it makes them feel _good_," Pansy said. "I bet taking you down a peg or two would put a smile on Brown's face…it'd actually put a smile on a lot of people's faces…"

Hermione took a deep breath to keep from saying something particularly nasty, because she felt she didn't need to sink down to Pansy's level. "Not everyone wants to make people suffer for a childish thrill."

That wiped the smirk from Pansy's face.

Blaise cleared his throat. "We also found something else out of particular interest." He cut his eyes at Pansy, a warning not to spoil the surprise. "Brown is working with someone. She is reporting all the information she found on you to them."

"Who?" Hermione asked impatiently.

"Well I wasn't sure until just now, because whoever Brown was reporting to was the same person who wrote that letter-"

"_Astoria Greengrass_?" Hermione shook her head in disbelief. "What did I ever do to her?"

Pansy pursed her lips. "Not everything is about _you_, Granger."

Blaise leaned back in his chair. "Going off the content of the letter, it seems as though Greengrass is trying to discourage Malfoy from having a relationship with you probably because she likes him."

Hermione blanched. "She knows?"

Pansy rolled her eyes. "You're not very skilled at subterfuge are you?"

Blaise nodded in agreement. "Probably why she didn't get into Slytherin."

Hermione frowned. "They're loads of reasons why I wasn't sorted into Slytherin."

Blaise shook his head. "No, you have a lot of Slytherin qualities at your core."

"I highly doubt that," Hermione said dryly. "I'm not a selfish coward that hates everyone only to feel better about what a horrible person I am."

"No," Blaise sighed. "Unfortunately you lack the fun qualities, but you are one of the most conniving people I have ever crossed paths with."

Her jaw dropped. "I am _not_ conniving."

"You did me a favor, only to use it to blackmail me into doing your bidding," Pansy pointed out.

"And you did me a favor only to get a favor in return," Blaise added.

"But…but I'm not nearly as bad as you two," Hermione protested.

Blaise sighed and shook his head. "Just like a Gryffindor, so self-righteous…"

"Just admit that you're not the perfect little princess everyone thinks you are," Pansy said.

Hermione pursed her lips. "As soon as you both admit that you aren't the heartless, uncaring people you want everyone to think you are."

Blaise shushed her playfully. "Don't say that too loud, you'll ruin our reputations."

Pansy was not so amused. "Don't go around assuming that you know me, because you don't know shit about me."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "I know that you care a lot more about Draco than he knows. That's what the letter you wrote was about. You're concerned for his safety-"

Pansy turned red. She looked like she wanted to reach across the table and choke her. "You read my letter, you filthy Mudblood!"

She smirked. "No actually I didn't, but you just confirmed my suspicions."

"If either of you breathe a word of this to anyone, and I mean _anyone_, I will use an Unforgivable on you."

"Which one?" Blaise asked with a grin. "Because I just might enjoy it."

Pansy sneered. "You're disgusting."

"No more than you are. I assure you."

The two Slytherins cut their eyes at each other.

"So Lavender is following me because she's jealous of Ron's feelings for me and Astoria is working with Lavender because she's jealous of me and Draco…" Hermione summarized.

"Basically," Blaise said. "So what are you going to do about it?"

"What?"

"What are you going to do to them?" Pansy asked with a glint in her eye.

"Nothing."

The two Slytherins looked disappointed.

"I'm not going to do anything to them," Hermione said firmly. "I'm going to talk it over with Lavender to show her that it's just a misunderstanding-"

"Merlin, you are so lame," Pansy muttered.

"Look Parkinson, I'm not like you. I don't have to be nasty to people."

"Are we done here?" Pansy made a show of looking at her watch. "Because I have places I'd rather be."

"Yes please go." Hermione waved her away.

Pansy leaned forward, looking murderous.

Blaise put a hand on her shoulder to hold her back. "Don't try anything. Too many witnesses."

Pansy glanced around the library. She huffed, threw off Blaise's hand angrily, and stormed out of the room.

"So what was that letter about?" Hermione asked casually.

Blaise's face turned carefully blank. "I'm not at liberty to say."

"You don't have to tell me. You can just hint at it. It'll be like I figured it out all on my own."

He stood. "I'm afraid the matter is out of my hands." Blaise gave her a small wave before leaving the library as well.

* * *

"What did you say?" Hermione asked.

Draco shuffled his feet and shrugged. "I said you're kind of pretty."

"Only kind of?" she joked.

He crossed his arms. "Well since you're only a _little bit_ in love with me then I think you're _kind of_ pretty."

Hermione pursed her lips. "Oh you're one to talk. At least I said I loved you, you've never said it at all."

"I guess we're even then."

"Hardly." Hermione crossed her arms. "I don't think calling me _kind of_ pretty even compares to me telling you that I'm a little bit in love with you because telling someone you love them means a lot more than telling someone you think they're _kind of_ pretty."

Draco sniffed haughtily "Usually when some tells you that you're pretty you're _supposed_ to say 'thank you'."

Hermione huffed. "When someone tells you that they love you then you're _supposed_ to tell the person if you love them back or not instead of leaving it up in the air and making the person question if you feel the same way about them which makes the person really self-conscious and unsure if they should continue seeing you because staying with you longer will only make it more painful in the end if you never end up loving the person at all."

Draco raised an eyebrow. "Where did all that come from?"

She flushed. "It was just purely hypothetical."

"It didn't sound hypothetical."

"Well it was, okay?"

Hermione turned away and started shuffling through a pile of useless papers that happened to be nearby. Draco gently touched the nape of her neck, sending tingles along the skin of her back.

"This hypothetical person should know better than to expect vows of undying love," he murmured.

She spun around to face him. "The hypothetical person isn't expecting stupid vows of undying love! I just want to know where I stand with you!"

He raised an eyebrow. "I thought this wasn't about us."

Hermione flushed. "It's not. It was just a slip of the tongue."

She spun back around and began furiously shuffling through the papers. Draco stepped forward so that his chest pressed against her back. He grabbed her hands to still her movements.

"What do you want from me, Hermione?" he whispered into the curve of her neck. "I'm not a mind reader. I can't know if you don't tell me."

Hermione ignored the warmth that spread to her stomach from his proximity. "That's the point. I don't want to have to tell you. I want you to tell me because you want to tell me and not because I want you to."

Draco sighed. "I'm not the kind of person who just says things like that."

"Well then maybe you're not what I need then."

"No I'm not."

Hermione spun around to face him. "How can you say something like that?"

He shrugged. "It's true. I'm not the type of person you should be with-"

"And just who should I be with? Ron?"

"Yes-"

"Well I'm not in love with bloody Ron! I'm in love with you!"

"I'm not the kind of man you need, Hermione! I'm not what you want-"

"Don't tell me what I want!"

Draco laughed without humor. "You told me what you wanted and I'm obviously not it."

"_Why?_ Why can't you tell me if you love me or not?"

He looked uncomfortable. "It's not that simple-"

She glared at him through blurry eyes. "Of course it's that bloody simple! Either you love me or you don't!"

Draco began to look sick. "I can't just say things like that. Those are very dangerous words-"

"I'm not asking you to marry me," she hissed. "I'm just asking you to answer my question. Do you love me?"

"Look, Hermione-"

She held up her hand. "The only thing I want to hear come out of your mouth is a yes or no."

Draco pinched the bridge of his nose. "How did we get here from me telling you you were pretty?"

Hermione's face twisted with anger and disappointment. She pushed past him, heading for the door. Draco grabbed her arm and swung her around.

"Okay I fucking love you! Are you happy now?"

She glared at him. "Thank you so very much but you can take that pathetic excuse for a declaration of love and shove it straight up your ass!"

"What the hell did I do _now_?"

"I had to practically beat it out of you so sorry if I'm not gracious enough."

Draco ran a hand through his hand. "I just don't get what else you want me to do."

"The only thing I want you to do is let go of me so I can leave."

"No, you're gonna stay here and listen to me."

"Let go!"

He yanked her to his chest. She push away from him and ran for the door. He grabbed her arm and threw her onto the couch then he straddled her hips. Hermione glared up at him.

"You're going to stay here and listen," Draco repeated. "Look I'm just not the kind of guy that would normally make a girl like you happy. It's just not in my blood. Like I said before, we're water and oil. We don't mix, but…I'm trying. I'm going against everything I've known for you because I am inexplicably and irrevocably in love with you. I'm the kind of guy who lets his actions speak for themselves. I thought you'd just know that I loved you because of everything I'm doing to change for you, but I guess you're the kind of girl who has to hear things like 'I love you' but I'm not used to hearing it and to be honest, you're the first person I've ever said it to. I'm not…I'm not used to this sort of thing, okay?"

Hermione stared up at him with an unreadable look in her eyes. Draco sighed heavily and moved to get off her. She wrapped a hand around his wrist to make him stay then she pulled him down into a kiss. He kissed her back softly with a slow passion that sent tingles along her scalp. Draco kissed her until her lips were swollen and bruised and then moved onto her neck. His lips found the spot that made her moan. Hermione cried out. She wrapped her legs him to bring his hips closer to hers. Draco groaned and shuddered at the contact of his hardness and her slick heat.

"You're beautiful," he groaned hoarsely into her ear.

She laughed. "I thought I was only kind of pretty."

"Shut up," Draco growled. "You're beautiful."

Hermione opened her mouth to reply but all that came out was a moan as he ground his hips against hers. Her hips lifted to press closer. Draco pushed against her faster. The friction sent fire through his veins. He yanked off her top with desperate hands. Hermione moved to take off his but he jerked away.

She pouted. "You always take my shirt off, but you never let me take off yours."

Draco slipped off her body. Hermione watched with curiosity as he turned off all the lights in the room until the room was practically pitch black. She was about to object, but then she thought back to a conversation that they had months ago when he confessed that the darkness made him feel at home. Hermione closed her mouth, keeping her objections to herself. She felt him settle back on top of her. When Hermione tried to take of his shirt again, Draco helped her pull it off. Then he expertly undid her bra before pressing against her. They both moaned at the feeling of their skin against one another's.

"Uhhhhhh Draco…" Hermione groaned when he slipped his fingers inside her.

He kissed her neck as he stroked her through her panties. She felt her skin grow hot and her muscles tense. Then he pulled away. Hermione whimpered in protest until she felt him slide her panties off her legs. Draco's cool lips latched onto her heat. Her back arched off the couch. He put a hand on her stomach to hold her down. Her legs started to shake. Her fingers curled against the cushions of the couch. Pressure built in her stomach. Her body was numb everywhere but where his lips were touching her. Draco curled his fingers into her, stroking the spot that made her see colors. Her whole body tensed. Hermione's back arched so high off the couch Draco struggled to keep his grip on her. Then she collapsed, shaking but sated.

Draco curled against her, holding her until her breathing went back to normal. Hermione's hands fumbled along his body until they came in contact with his hardness. His hips jerked when she gripped him. His shuddered with each stroke of her hand. She let go to turn around to face him, because the angle had grew too awkward. Then she gripped him again. His lips found hers in a sloppy kiss. Hermione kissed him back once, twice, three times before pushing herself down his body and wrapping her lips around him. He moaned loudly. She pulled away, inhaled deeply, and took him deep into her throat. She was rewarded with a string of moans and "oh fuck"s. It wasn't long before Draco started thrusting into her mouth, growling incoherently. Hermione could tell he was close from the way erratic jerk of his hips. Hermione sucked harder, earning a growl, before she pulled away. Draco hissed and shuddered.

"What..." Draco panted. "Why are you stopping?"

Hermione pulled herself back up his body. "Make love to me."

Draco stiffened. "What?"

"Make love to me, Draco," she repeated with a confidence that suggested she came to that decision a while back.

He moaned at the thought, pushing his hardness against her bare thigh. "But…we can't. Aren't you a virgin?"

"Who said that I was?" Hermione whispered.

She pushed back against him, making him shudder and curse. He tried to think it over. He tried to make a good decision, but he was dizzy and she felt so good against him. Draco pushed her onto the couch and climbed on top of her. He ran his length along her, moaning at how good she felt.

"Make love to me, Draco," she whispered.

Draco, weak with want, positioned himself, but hesitated to give her time to object. Hermione pushed against him impatiently. He pushed into her, fast and hard. Hermione gasped and cried out, stiffening underneath him.

"Hermione?" he whispered.

She whimpered.

"Hermione?"

"I'm fine."

"No you're not. What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Keep going."

Draco put two and two together. "You're a virgin."

"Not anymore," she chuckled weakly.

"This isn't funny, Hermione. Why did you lie to me?"

"I didn't lie. I just asked who said I was virgin. I never said that I wasn't."

"This isn't right," he muttered. "If I had known-"

"What? You wouldn't have done it?"

"No," Draco growled. "I would have done it right. I would've been more gentle. I would've prepped you more."

"I was ready."

"You clearly aren't." He moved to pull out.

She wrapped her legs around him to make him stay. Draco groaned despite himself.

"Please Draco. Let's not fight about this. It's done already. Please just make love to me. I love you and I want my first time to be with you."

Draco kissed her softly and whispered, "Just relax, okay?"

Hermione didn't realize how tense she was until she exhaled and let her muscles loosen. He pressed his cheek to hers and murmured softly into her hair. Then Draco slowly pulled out and pushed back inside her again and again until she grew impatient and pushed against him to try make him go faster. Draco chuckled, but she didn't see what was so funny about her _needing _him so _badly_. Then she smirked wickedly as an idea crossed her mind. Hermione latched her lips onto his neck and sucked at the spot beneath his ear. His hips jerked, driving him slightly deeper inside of her.

"Hermione…"Draco growled.

She sucked harder. Draco thrust into her faster, making heat bloom in her stomach. Hermione hummed her satisfaction against his skin.

"S-stop Hermione."

She held him in place as she mercilessly laved at his throat. He sped up, driving even deeper into her.

"S-stop…I'm…losing control…"

Hermione moaned at the thought and started moving with him. A strangled groan ripped from his throat, the sound of his resolve breaking. Draco braced himself above her before thrusting his entire length into her. Hermione moaned. His hips relentlessly pounded into hers. She struggled to match his furious pace. A burning ache developed inside her. Hermione never thought it was possible to feel so _good_. The feeling of him filling her was so amazing she wondered how she lived without it. Without him, inside her, completing her in a way that made her contemplate wrapping her body around him so he could never pull away, never stop pleasuring her.

Hermione moaned, bucked, and clawed at his back. He growled and hissed in pleasure. She raked her nails down his back again, earning another hiss. Spurred by his reaction, Hermione lightly bit his shoulder. Draco moaned and thrust into her faster. Hermione bit harder experimentally. The force of his thrust made her slide along the cushions. Her vision went momentarily black. She sped up her pace creating sweet friction that made the heat build between her legs. She bit him again. His thrust slid her into the armrest. Hermione's eyes rolled back.

"Hermione…" he growled in warning. Hermione gripped him tighter. Somewhere in the back of her mind she heard him say something but she couldn't bring herself to care. All she knew was that she was _so_ close.

"Sl-slow down," he groaned.

She couldn't stop.

"Hermione…_shit_…stop Hermione…slow down…"

Hermione kept moving. Draco growled, grabbed her hips, and began thrusting into with wild abandon. She moaned so loud her throat felt raw. His drives grew more and more erratic. He shoved a hand between them. His fingers swirled roughly around her clit. Two thrusts later, she was gone. Hermione clawed desperately at his back as wave after wave of pleasure went through her. Draco grunted and buried his entire length inside her, fingers digging into her hips. Then he collapsed on top of her. Once he got his breath back, he rolled on to his side, pulling Hermione's back to his chest.

"You really enjoy pushing your luck," Draco murmured before playfully nipping at her neck.

"If that's what I get for pushing my luck, then I see no point in stopping." He could hear the satisfied smile in her voice.

He chuckled. "We'll see if you still feel that way when you're sore in the morning."

She yawned. "Yeah…we'll see…"

"You should've let me be more gentle," he chided.

"I don't…" She yawned again. "I don't always do what I'm supposed to do…"

"Yes, you've made that abundantly clear."

She didn't respond.

"Hermione?"

He was answered by light snoring. Draco smiled slightly, pulling his shirt back on before drifting off into sleep.

Hours later, Hermione woke with a start. She frowned when she realized she had fallen asleep. She carefully slid out of Draco's grasp and stumbled across the room to turn on a lamp. She checked her watch. She gasped at the time. Hermione hurriedly ran around to room to pull on her clothes and gather her things. Then she stood in front of the couch, watching Draco sleep. She thought about waking him, but he looked so peaceful. She decided to let him sleep, because he really deserved the rest. She noted that sometime during the night, he had pulled his shirt back on. Hermione quirked an eyebrow. She leaned over him and pushed his open shirt further open to expose his torso. She ran a delicate finger along his scar. Draco shifted and murmured but did not wake. Hermione pulled his shirt down his shoulders, but couldn't get it to go down any further so she pushed his sleeves up, bunching the fabric around his elbows.

Then she saw it. The ugly black ink marring the pale skin of his left forearm. The skull and the snake. The Dark Mark. Hermione gasped with bile rising up her throat. She stumbled backwards, almost tripping over a stack of books in her attempt to put space between her and the Death Eater. Her heart raced. She broke out into a sweat. She stood there shaking her head so violently she almost gave herself whiplash. Hermione couldn't believe it. She felt like the earth was tilting beneath her feet. She couldn't think. She could barely stand. Hermione didn't know whether to cry or scream.

She slowly walked back to him with her hands clenched into tight fists. Hermione stood over him, contemplating punching his face into the back of skull because she decided she was just that furious. Draco murmured and shifted in his sleep. She changed her mind at the last moment, opting to cover up the ugly mark with his sleeve. Hermione walked away from him only to walk back and away again. Betrayal spread through her system like poison twisting in her veins. She wanted to curse him until he felt the pain she felt in her chest, in her stomach, in her entire body. Hermione decided to leave the room before she broke down or did something stupid. She yanked up the last of her things from the floor and began to leave. Hermione stopped before she reached the door and turned around with a vindictive sneer on her face. She walked over to the shelves, snatched up the Marauder's Map, and stormed out the room.

* * *

AN: Thank you again for your feedback and suggestions. They're all lovely and useful. I changed the summary as suggested. (Bonjour Stéphanie! Tu es très sympathique. I'd say more but I've only taken one semester of French and I don't want to embarrass myself. Haha yeah that's English for the most part. Not 100% grammactically correct but I never am either when comes to English. How long have you been speaking English because you're actually kinda good and your English is probably WAY better than my French will ever be...sadly...) So yeah I basically suck at summaries so if you don't like the new one, I'll try, try again.


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